


The Seventh Slayer

by Kantayra of Yore (Kantayra)



Series: Seventh Slayer 'Verse [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-08-04
Updated: 2002-12-03
Packaged: 2017-10-21 00:45:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 91,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kantayra/pseuds/Kantayra%20of%20Yore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 2058, and Slayers are pitted against each other in a war between the Watchers Council and a group that calls themselves...the Scoobies? A futureverse including the fates of all the BtVS characters. Becomes B/S.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“You filthy, disgusting traitor!” Adina the Vampire Slayer hissed as she thrust her sword at her opponent with all her strength.

“ _I_ am the traitor?” Nina – also the Vampire Slayer – retorted as she parried the blade. “I’m not the one who killed dozens of innocents!”

“They were Velik demons!” Adina replied. “If you had not turned from the Calling, you would know that they deserved death every bit as much as their T’Liff overlords!” She caught her opponent with a flying kick and sent her tumbling to the ground.

Nina rolled, her lightning-quick reflexes the only thing that prevented her from being impaled upon the other Slayer’s blade. As it was, the blow was so close to striking that it took off a lock of her long, honey-brown hair…but anything was better than her head.

“Are you honestly so blind as to believe that?” she countered as she rose to her feet.

“I have not had the purity of my vision clouded by witches and demons!” Adina feinted to the left but diverted her blow at the last minute to catch her opponent’s sword arm.

Nina hissed and pulled back, switching her weapon to her other hand. She was panting heavily by now, and the pain in her arm stung like no tomorrow. _C’mon backup…_ She prayed silently. _Now would be a_ really _good time to show up…_

“You have gotten slow in your old age,” Adina snorted derisively. “You are weak and sloppy.”

“And more than experienced enough to take you out,” Nina retorted. “Plus: ‘old’? I’m twenty! Sooo not even _approaching_ ‘old’ yet!”

Adina drove her back with a series of strong, well-placed kicks as slashes.

“You should have stepped aside when it was your time, old woman,” she hissed between her furious blows, “allowed another who could better handle the Call to take your place…”

“And you would just step aside and let them kill you?” Nina replied. Her blocks were getting weaker and weaker, and she was now barely managed to stop Adina’s sword from hewing her in two.

“It is my Sacred Duty. My _Destiny_!” Adina gave one final, mighty swing.

It ripped the sword clear from Nina’s hands, and the auburn-haired Slayer fell back to the ground. She froze in place as her dark-haired opponent raised her blade so that it was angled down right at her heart.

 “I’m human! I fight for the same cause as you!” Nina defended herself.

“You are a traitor and deserve death,” Adina retorted. “My Watcher says so.”

“Please,” Nina begged, a tear falling from her eye. “I’m to be married next month!”

“That is not part of a Slayer’s Duty,” Adina’s ebony eyes narrowed. “For the Calling!” she cried out before her blade pierced the other Slayer’s chest.

“No!” A scream issued from the freshly broken barricade.

Adina spun around just as her blade reddened with blood. She heard a loud thunk and froze stock still for a minute.

Then she looked down at her chest to see the same red now staining her shirt.

Her eyes widened as the pain finally penetrated the shock and adrenaline of battle. White-hot arcs of agony split through her as she clutched at the arrow lodged firmly in her chest. Then, with one last gasp, her eyes rolled up and she fell to the floor.

Adina the Vampire Slayer was no more.

The man who had shot her ran straight by her without a glance to fall at the side of the other Slayer.

“Nina, please, you can’t die!” he cried out, clutching his bride-to-be desperately. “Don’t leave me!” his whispers turned ragged when he realized it was hopeless. “Not you too! Please, Nina, my love…”

He fell atop the body of the woman he loved, sobbing helplessly.

The others that had formed the belated rescue mission stood around sadly, many shedding silent tears themselves.

“What are we going to do, Nicolas?” a woman with shoulder-length onyx hair asked.

“We have to inform the Wiccans as soon as possible,” the blond vampire turned away for the scene, disgusted by his own instinct to go to the blood.

“And Alex?” she gestured to the broken man and his dead fiancé.

“We can only hope that he’ll be strong enough to get through this,” the vampire looked her in the eyes.

“Maybe you’d better go make the call,” the woman noticed the stress her companion was under. “Get out of here.”

Nicolas flashed her a small smile. “Thank you,” he whispered softly. “You are my guiding light, Monica. As always.”

She caught his cool hand and gave it a slight squeeze before she gestured for him to go. Only after he had gone did she let herself turn back to the scene before her. Alex’s tears still hadn’t ceased.

The wisdom her aunt Aida had given all too recently popped into her mind: _Whether human or demon, we all can only take so much loss before the world – and life itself – becomes meaningless to us._

As she looked at Alex’s prone form, she sincerely hoped that he hadn’t reached that point yet…

* * *

“Two?” Fletcher Price repeated at the videoscreen in horror and disbelief.

“Two,” Nicolas looked weary at the other end. “Adina killed Nina, and then Alex shot Adina… It was pretty gruesome, Price. And that’s coming from a vampire.”

“Yes, well, thank you for informing me,” Fletcher sighed and caught the bridge of his nose between two fingers, holding the pressure points there. “You’ll make sure that everyone gets back?”

“Don’t worry about,” Nicolas assured him. “I’ll take care of everything here.”

“Thanks, Nicky,” Fletcher said.

“No problem,” Nicolas said. “And don’t call me ‘Nicky’.” His image on the monitor scowled for an instant, and then the screen was blank.

“Nina and Adina are both gone?” the old woman that had been watching Fletcher’s conversation spoke up.

“I’m afraid so,” Fletcher let out a long sigh and a tear threatened to escape his eye before he remembered all that British stiff upper lip stuff, and he fought his emotions back down. “Two more will be Called,” he said in his normal clipped, precise tones.

“As they always are,” agreed the old woman.

She closed her eyes from a minute and allowed her long, straight, gray hair to curtain her face. Just as Fletcher began to wonder whether she’d fallen asleep, the power crackled up around her and her hair pushed back from her face of its own accord. Her back suddenly straightened and grew strong, and suddenly she was not merely an old woman but a messenger of the Powers That Be and a vessel of power.

“The next two have great potential,” she informed him, her blue eyes seeing far beyond the confines of the walls. “They may bring balance to this war.”

“We need to get to them before the Watcher’s Council. Where can we find them?” Fletcher asked.

The old witch nodded and walked over to the antique globe that sat in one corner of the elaborately furnished office. She stared at it intently for a few seconds before it slowly began to spin. Fletcher moved behind her as the globe spun faster and faster until it was a complete blur.

Only then did the old witch raise her right hand. Twin green sparks escaped her palm and struck the globe as it spun at blinding speed.

“It is done,” she said, the power slowly fading and leaving her the frail old woman she normally was.

Fletcher quickly stopped the globe and searched for the two sparks before they faded. The first was easy to spot, right over Bombay, India. The second he caught right before the blue light faded away. Valencia, Spain.

“We should send our best people out on this,” Fletcher commented.

“They’re almost through with their current assignments,” his companion smiled slightly. “They will not want their upcoming vacation time to be disturbed.”

“No, I imagine they won’t,” he sighed.

“Don’t worry,” the old woman patted him reassuringly. “It’s highly unlikely that either of them will actually carry out their threats. You’ll probably just get a nice long tirade.”

“That’s bad enough,” Fletcher smiled slightly. “Although they’ve already ripped apart my parentage, manhood, sexual proclivities, fighting abilities, and intelligence. Honestly, what else can they possibly say?”

The old witch chuckled. “That’s the spirit,” she smiled at him. “Besides, it’s always fun to watch them chew you out…”

“Oh, thanks ever so!” he huffed. “Can’t an ex-Watcher ever get any respect around here?”

“The more things change…” she shook her head, leaving him to complete the quote.

“Right.” He attempted to take on an air of authority, and she let him think his little act worked. “I’ll…call them in. Willow, you call together the rest of your circle. I want to make sure your calculations were correct.”

“Aren’t they always?” Willow said, refusing to take his bait.

“Er…well, yes…” Fletcher hemmed and hawed. “But I really don’t want to give them the wrong coordinates. Last time that happened…”

“You got thrown into the pond,” she giggled in a way that belied her seventy-six years. “We were laughing for weeks!”

“No respect,” Fletcher sighed. “None at all,” he muttered under his breath as he shooed the old witch from the room. “Don’t know why I even bother…”

He glanced nervously at the blank phone screen for a few seconds before he reached over and typed in a number that he – unfortunately – knew by heart.


	2. Chapter 2

_Bombay, India…_

Ajaya Gupta scowled across the library at the three loud college boys. They paid her absolutely no heed and continued whooping loudly at the back issues of PlayBoy that they’d recently discovered were in the school’s stacks.

Ajaya sunk deeper into her chair, turned up the volume of her earphones, and tried to bury her mind in the schematics of the new manned probe to Jupiter. This was to be the first time humans would travel to the outer solar system, and the scientific community was abuzz with the news.

And she was just as elated. Or disappointed. She couldn’t decide which. The problem was that _she_ wanted to be the one to design the shuttle. Unfortunately, the mission had come a good ten years too soon for that. And she had jumped a whole two grades and everything. It was grievously unfair.

She continued to read the article, dangling on every word about the design schematics. She fidgeted with the glasses on her nose as she did so. For some reason, about a week ago her vision had started to get blurry with her glasses. Imagine her surprise when she had taken them off to inspect whether they were dirty and discovered that her vision was perfect _without_ them.

At first she had thought she was dreaming. After all, many of her dreams in the past had centered around getting rid of the coke-bottle apparatus that had gotten her so mercilessly teased all throughout grammar school. She’d pinched herself to make sure. It had hurt; she wasn’t dreaming.

But just as she’d had this revelation, everything had gone blurry again, and she’d needed her glasses to see once more. Since then, her vision had been flipping back and forth at an erratic rate.

It pissed her off to no end. Because of her extreme prescription, she already wasn’t able to get corrective surgery until she was 21…which was still five years away. But now that her vision was fluctuating, the doctors would probably say that she had to wait ever _longer_ until they figured out what was going on.

It seemed like she’d be stuck in this prison _forever_.

However, moping wouldn’t get her anywhere. And it _certainly_ wouldn’t get her engineering project done in time. Her professor had been rather adamant that analyzing the new craft’s propulsion system was too difficult a task for an undergraduate freshman. Thus, she absolutely _had_ to prove him wrong.

She continued making her way through the report, taking notes as she needed to, and became completely oblivious to the world around her. Hours ticked by, the annoying group of guys was finally ushered out by several stern librarians, and the stacks begin to close down one by one, yet she still didn’t notice.

Nor did she notice the four people who burst in the doors right as the night watchman was about to ask her to leave. He rushed over to them, pointing to the closed sign, but none of them left. In fact, they all moved closer to him, circling as they went.

It was at this point that he noticed something was wrong with their faces. He opened his mouth to scream for help when the tallest of the four caught him by the neck and lifted him several inches off the ground.

“Well, well, what have we here?” the lead vampire said in a rough American accent that belied his Indian appearance, gesturing to the thrashing guard.

“A new toy?” suggested the small, Chinese female.

“A punching bag?” the Indian man added.

“Lunch,” the large, blond vampire that had him by the throat decided.

“Or perhaps all three rolled into one,” the leader gave the guard a fangy grin. The girl with the blaring earphones sitting across the room with her back to them then caught his eye. “And what’s this?” he nodded to the large, muscle-bound vamp who instantly snapped the guard’s neck. “Doesn’t have much of a survival instinct, does she?”

His three companions grinned as they fanned out to trap her.

Ajaya had just finished the section on fuel efficiency when a strange tingle ran down her spine. She looked up in surprise just as a clawed hand caught her by the front of the shirt and lifted her several feet off the ground. Her feet kicked helplessly in the air, and she screamed when she saw the vampiric countenance of her captor.

“Now, this one looks like she’ll be more fun,” the leader said.

“ _Very_ fun,” the female purred, reaching out one clawed finger to trace Ajaya’s chin line. A trail of blood followed the path of the green-painted nail. “So small and pretty… Can we have some fun with her, Anish?” she implored their leader.

The younger Indian male muttered under his breath as the female he intended to make his mate one day yet again demonstrated her preference for her own sex.

“We’ll have lots of fun with this one,” the leader – Anish – assured her. “Won’t we, pretty one?”

Ajaya’s struggles continued tenfold as the vampire caught her about the waist and pulled her flush up against him. He was too strong for her thrashing to do any good, though.

“Sweet, too…” He licked lightly at her jugular, savoring the moment.

At that moment, pure, unadulterated terror swept through Ajaya. All she knew was that she had to get away. She wasn’t even aware that she had made a fist until it collided with the vampire’s face…and sent him flying all the way across the room.

Ajaya stared at the collapsed vamp in astonishment. Surely _she_ hadn’t done that!

The other three vampires were also looking at their leader, dumbstruck. And once he managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, the same expression appeared on his face.

For a minute they all just stood there, gaping at each other. To an observer, it was pretty damn funny.

Then, the leader finally managed to pull himself together and called out, “Slayer! Get her!”

“But I’m not…” Ajaya protested as all four vampires turned to her, fangs snapping.

It was at this point that the aforementioned – albeit obliquely so – observer decided to step in. With a quick back flip, the black-clad figure sprung from the top of the bookcase and landed right in the center of the vampires, back to Ajaya.

“Keep your back to me!” a female voice demanded when Ajaya turned around to look at what appeared to be one of the ninjas from those old movies.

Without thinking, Ajaya obeyed…and then promptly fell to the ground as the young Indian vamp caught her squarely in the stomach. Behind her, her companion neatly ducked the massive fist of the blond vamp and followed through with a hand straight to his chest…a hand holding a wooden stake firmly in its grasp.

The blond vamp looked down in astonishment for a second before exploding in a whirlwind of dust.

The ‘ninja’ managed to slip a stake into her other hand as well as the female and young Indian vamps rushed her from both sides simultaneously. She held her ground until the last second before leaping high into the air and grabbing hold of an overhead pipe.

Below her, the two vampires collided with each other with a loud thump and went down. Unfortunately, the ninja’s grip on the pipe meant that she had had to drop one of her stakes. It clattered to the ground, landing right by Ajaya’s hand just as she was getting to her knees.

The wind was still slightly knocked out of her, but she managed to look up in time to see the leader rushing at her. That same strange force seemed to take over her limbs in that instant, and without thinking she caught hold of the stake while simultaneously rolling to the side, out of the vampire’s path. Her arm jabbed out right as he passed her, and she gapped in astonishment when she discovered the stake was firmly planted in his heart.

He fell to dust before her just as the ninja dropped to the ground.

“That your first?” her masked helper asked.

Ajaya nodded dumbly.

“Pretty good for your first try,” the ninja quickly dispatched the two unconscious vamps. “You could never have taken all four, though.”

Ajaya shook her head.

“Hey, are you OK?”

Ajaya snapped back to reality at the concern in her companion’s voice. “Yes,” she smiled softly, “thanks to you. I don’t know what I would have done if—”

“You would have fought bravely,” the ninja insisted, helping her to her feet. Ajaya was surprised to discover that the woman was not much taller than she was. “Just like any Slayer.”

“But I am not the Slayer,” Ajaya finished her sentiment from earlier.

“I think Dusty there would disagree with you,” the ninja gestured to the pile of ashes. She made her way over to the bookshelf she had come from and gracefully leapt to the top, making no noise as she landed.

Ajaya just stood there, mouth gaping.

The ninja turned to face her again. “Are you coming or what?” she demanded.

“Coming?” Ajaya asked confusedly.

“Danger’s not over yet,” her black-clad savior explained. She nodded to the open air vent above her. “This is probably the only safe way out of this place.”

Ajaya was about to ask ‘what danger’ when she realized that now probably wasn’t the best time for questions.

“Just a minute,” she demanded as she ran over to her bag and shoved all the scattered papers back inside. She put the stake in as well, before zipping it shut and slinging it over her shoulder.

The ninja was starting to look impatient when she carefully climbed her way up the bookcase, using the shelves as rungs on a ladder. She was actually quite amazed that her usually gangly and clumsy body made the climb so fluidly.

“C’mon,” the ninja said, pulling herself up through the opening in the ceiling. Ajaya would almost have sworn there was a hint of a smile in her voice.

Taking one look back at the destruction behind her, Ajaya warily followed.

* * *

 _Valencia, Spain…_

“It is time for you to face your first test,” Mr. West informed Isabelle.

“You’ve said that like nine times already,” she yawned in a bored manner. “How many _first_ tests can there possibly be? I mean, shouldn’t there just be one?”

He frowned at her. “This is a Sacred Duty! You must take it seriously!”

“So says _you_ ,” she muttered under her breath sullenly.

“I will pretend I didn’t hear that,” he huffed before turning his attention once again to the park across the street. “They will come soon. You must go.”

“And thanks so much for driving me all the way to my death,” Isabelle sulked as she slammed the car door shut behind her. She stalked over to the park to take on the vampires while her Watcher stayed nice and warm in the car with the nice invite rule keeping him safe and sound.

Isabelle cursed her situation as she had every day in the past five years since the Watcher’s Council had officially adopted her. Friends, school, fun…life, all gone in an instant. It had really sucked.

For a long time Isabelle had hoped that the Calling would pass over her, and she’d be able to live a normal life again. That was until the stupid Slayer had decided to get herself killed last week. And what could those sudden twinges and flashes of power that Isabelle had suddenly experienced possibly mean? Why, only that she was doomed to a short, miserable existence.

She trudged into the circle of trees to find the area completely deserted. Apparently, the vampires hadn’t decided to show for their little transaction yet.

“They could at least have the courtesy not to make me wait,” she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and plopped down on one of the park benches.

“I mean, if I’m going to die a bloody death, can’t it just hurry up? No need to prolong my agony…”

She stopped abruptly as a tingle raced down her spine. Mr. West had remarked several times already how abnormally strong her Slayer Sense was. And right now it was warning her about some _major_ vamp action.

She stood up and looked around the clearing slowly. She couldn’t see anything, but that strange feeling just wouldn’t go away. She attempted to focus it in the way Mr. West had taught her, and suddenly felt herself pulled in one direction.

She took a cautious step toward it, her stake at the ready.

Another. Still nothing attacked her…

And then she heard voices behind her. She whirled around just in time to see four vamps enter the clearing. They caught sight of her in that same instant and rushed her.

Falling back on years of martial arts training, she quickly and effectively parried their blows, jabbing her stake in whenever she could. Unfortunately, training was in no way able to fully prepare her for what a Slayer’s life was _really_ like, and her stake missed more often than not.

One vamp that was almost a fledgling she managed to dust almost immediately. The remaining three dodged her strikes and hit back just as hard.

She took a kick to the gut and fell to the ground. She barely managed to roll aside before a foot stomped down right where her head had been. She grabbed hold of the ankle and threw the vamp to the ground. In that second before he could move, she staked number two.

Number three caught her in the face with a strong left hook. Isabelle fell back to the ground, fortunately crashing right into number four as he tried to attack her from behind. He took the brunt of their fall, and it was an easy matter to stake him while he was beneath her.

She absolutely _loved_ how bad vamps were at cooperating.

Number three now stood alone with a very pissed off Slayer before her. She was about to bolt when four newcomers joined their little party.

Isabelle groaned.

While there was no love lost between the Orders of Dareios and Aurelius, they would certainly have no qualms about teaming up to take out the Slayer. So now there were _five_ vamps to deal with. This was just not her day.

She ducked the first blow from one of the newcomers, and wove her way through punches and kicks and slashes. More than a few struck her, and she knew she couldn’t hold up for long against these odds. _Nice first test_ , she cursed her Watcher when her stake finally caught one of the newly arrived Dareians.

The odds were now 4:1 again, and if no more showed up, she just _might_ have a chance. And more than anything else she didn’t want to die tonight.

She did a back flip as one of the Dareians and the remaining Aurelian dove at her at the same time. They crashed into each other and fell to the ground.

“That’s just great,” she commented. “It’s nice to see you vamps finally overcoming your Order biases and working together. Makes me think there might be hope for the world after all.” She ducked the punch of a young Dareian as she said this and staked him neatly in the chest. _Three left_ , her mind cheered.

Fortunately, the two fallen vamps had been reminded of their rivalry by their collision and instantly turned their lethal attentions to each other, snarling and biting as they tussled on the ground.

“Aw man,” Isabelle shook her head as she aimed her foot for the last standing vamp’s head, “isn’t that a shame? And here I thought the future was looking brighter.” She gestured to the two arguing vampires.

Her opponent gave her a confused look and turned to see what she was talking about.

“A tip,” she said as she plunged the stake into his heart while his head was turned away. “Never, _ever_ stop paying attention to the Slayer!”

He looked appropriately shame-faced before he exploded into dust.

“And now for…that.” She frowned as she watched the two vampires still trying to rip each other’s heads off. She _really_ didn’t want to get involved in it, but…

“Sacred Duty, blah, blah…”

She staked the vamp whose back was to her and then caught the female Aurelian before she could get up.

“And I live to try to get myself killed another day,” she sighed as she moved to put the stake back in her belt.

She froze in mid-motion, however, when she felt that same presence from earlier.

“Who are you?” she demanded, whirling around. “Where are you? Come out and fight me!”

A soft chuckle echoed through the glade, and a few seconds later a man emerged from the shadows. “You’ve got spunk,” he said in slightly accented Spanish, “I’ll give you that.”

Her Slayer Sense was screaming at her more loudly than it ever had before. Her eyes narrowed as she crouched and prepared for his attack.

“Not a bad fighter, either,” he gestured to the dust that surrounded the battlefield. “But not good enough.” His yellow eyes turned to look into her determined ones.

“Who. Are. You?” she demanded.

“For now, I’m a Big Bad nasty vampire that’s trying to kill you,” he shrugged. “What more do you need to know?”

“Nothing,” Isabelle said as she struck her foot out at him once he was within range. He blocked it easily. “Just curious.”

“Ah, but you know what they say,” he tsked, diverting all her punches and kicks with the greatest of ease.

“What?” Isabelle demanded as she sped up her attacks, trying not to let the fear show in her eyes when she realized how outmatched she was.

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

He struck out at her for the first time, and his foot connected with her solar plexus. She fell to the ground, the breath knocked out of her and fighting for consciousness. Just as air finally returned to her lungs, he fell on top of her, pinning her firmly to her ground.

“But maybe this time it will save it,” he flashed her a toothy grin before his fist collided with her skull, and all she knew was darkness…


	3. Chapter 3

Ajaya crawled through the air vents, trying desperately to keep a pace with her savior. The black-clad woman set a furious pace, and didn’t even seem to be breathing heavily for all her efforts. It frightened Ajaya. She didn’t know what was after them – probably more vamps – but whatever it was must have been really nasty to send this woman, who handled the vampires below so easily, running.

“What are we…” Ajaya said between gasps for air, following the woman up a short ladder, “…running from?”

“No time,” the mysterious woman said in short, clipped tones.

Ajaya was now able to notice that her Bengali accent was hideous; she sounded rather like one of those American tourists who only knew the phrases ‘where’s the bathroom’ and ‘how much’. However, the foreign woman had shown a surprising depth of knowledge of her language. Ajaya couldn’t reconcile the two facts…and right now she had more important matters to worry about.

The endless sequence of turns and twists and dips and ladders finally came to an end with a steel grate. Her companion kicked the panel with enough force to make the entire corridor vibrate. The grate easily popped of, and soon Ajaya found herself pulled out onto the roof…of a fifteen-storey building.

“What are we—?”

She never got a chance to finish. The other woman tackled her to the ground instants before a high-intensity laser pierced the wall right where her head had been.

“Ohmygod!” Ajaya gasped.

“Stay low,” her companion ordered.

Her grabbed Ajaya’s hand and guided her across the rooftop, scrambling and falling just as Ajaya did. They ducked and covered behind other air vents and fans, hiding from the dark-clad figures that Ajaya only caught glimpses of during their frenzied escape.

They rounded a corner…straight into one of the men. He managed to let out a yell while her companion kicked the laser rifle from his hands. Her ninja-like rescuer knocked him out almost immediately thereafter, but the man’s cry had already alerted his allies.

Red energy beams whizzed by them on all sides, and they ran away at breakneck speed. Ajaya thought her lungs were about to burst when the woman suddenly pulled her aside, and they hid right at the rim of the roof.

“Hang on tight,” the masked woman informed her as she wrapped a rope firmly around Ajaya and attached it to the carabiner on her vest.

“What do you mean?” Ajaya asked. “What are we—?” She screamed when the woman shoved them both over the edge…

* * *

Isabelle came to groggily. At first she thought she was still asleep due to the blackness. Then she noticed what seemed like a faint, red line all around her. In fact, it almost looked like…

If Isabelle could have slapped herself, she would have.

It looked _exactly_ like light filtered through closed eyelids. She opened her eyes and quickly assessed _why_ she was unable to slap herself. Ah, that would be because of the chains that bound her hands and feet. She was pinned back against a cold, stone wall. She tested the chains just to make sure. Of course, they were solid. Just her luck…

Isabelle took in a deep breath of air and tried to think clearly. The last thing she remembered was fighting that last vamp…the one that had been _way_ too powerful for her to take. She absentmindedly wondered if he was one of the ‘Masters’ her Watcher had warned her about, but that was beside the point right now.

She was pretty sure he had knocked her unconscious. However, she was even more sure of the fact that she hadn’t been fed on. That left two possibilities:

1\. The vampire that had defeated her wanted her for some purpose other than her death.

2\. Someone else had saved her from the vamp while she was unconscious, and they were now the ones that held her captive.

She scanned her surroundings. Stone walls with no windows, only flickering candles to light up the room… It all reeked of vampire habitation. She guessed she was probably in the ruins of some ancient castle or something of the sort. That made the first option seem the most likely.

But what could a vampire possibly want with her? Other than her death, that is…

Pretty much all she knew about vamps came from her Watcher. Evil, undead, must be killed: that was the party line. She was vaguely aware that all the news reports she’d seen reinforced this picture. All vampires wanted to do was kill humans and create more of their kind. Is that what this one wanted? If so, why hadn’t he turned her already?

Isabelle gave up. There was no way she was going to figure this out without more information. And she also wasn’t getting away any time soon.

She knew that once he came back she would probably die, but she really didn’t care at that moment. After all, death couldn’t really be that much worse than sitting around patiently waiting for death…

“Hey, you!” she yelled out. “Either let me go, or come down here and put an end to my boredom!”

For a while there was no response.

And then the door creaked open, and her captor stood before her – the same vampire that had defeated her in the park.

And Isabelle’s breath was taken away…

* * *

“Aaaaaieeeeeeeeeeee!” Ajaya screamed as the two of them plummeted from the rooftop down the thin wire that connected to a building across the street.

Hovercars whizzed by them at breakneck speed, and Ajaya shut her eye tight just waiting for them to crash into one and meet a very crunchy end.

“Shit!” her companion suddenly swore in English.

Ajaya opened her eyes and dared to look in the same direction as her rescuer just in time to see the men in black on the rooftop they had left behind snipping the line that held them aloft.

Ajaya screamed again.

Her masked companion seemed to have the situation well in hand, though. She pulled a grappling gun from her belt just as the line snapped and managed to shoot it off right as they started to plummet. It struck the underside of a car passing overhead, and a hard jerk at the sudden change in acceleration was the only injury the two women suffered.

They whipped along behind the vehicle they had snared, the line twisting as they went and sending them waving dangerously in and out of the traffic.

“OK,” the ninja muttered to herself, “not exactly what I had in mind…”

“Miss!” Ajaya suddenly shook her shoulder. “They are coming after us in cars! Look!” She pointed to where two black vehicles were in hot pursuit of the one they’d hitched a ride on.

“Not. Good,” her companion agreed as another laser blast missed them by less than a foot, their wild and erratic motion the only thing that saved them from certain death. “Oh! Wait a minute!” she abruptly looked down. “Brace yourself!” she warned.

“Wha—?” was all Ajaya managed to say before her savior dropped hold of the grappling gun and they fell downwards…

And right into the car that had pulled up below them.

The black-clad woman grabbed hold of one of Ajaya’s legs that was still protruding from the open top and shoved it into the vehicle.

“We’re in!” she called out to the driver.

The blond man at the wheel instant hit a button to close the roof, and it shut seconds before more lasers from their pursuers fired. Ajaya watched in amazement as the powerful weapons bounced harmlessly off of the roof – this was obviously no ordinary hovercar.

“Perfect timing, Nicky,” her companion said as she shuffled around in the backseat to make herself comfortable.

“I aim to please,” the man in front said, diving perilously through the oncoming traffic in an effort to evade their pursuers. “And don’t call me ‘Nicky’,” his tone turned sour.

He screeched around a corner at lightning speed and quickly ducked the car into a darkened parking lot. He hit the lights, and they waited in pitch-blackness.

Only a few seconds later three black cars flew by, obviously assuming that they were still on the road.

“I think…” Ajaya gasped breathlessly, “…that we lost them.”

“Looks like it,” the driver agreed, pulling out and taking off in another direction. “Check to make sure they don’t pick up our tail again,” he added over his shoulder.

“I got it,” the black masked woman said. “You just get us far away from here.”

“Can do,” the man said cheerfully enough.

Ajaya glanced in the rearview mirror to try to get a look at his face and froze. The mirror reflected only herself. That meant no driver…and no savior.

Her companion took that moment to remove her mask, revealing long blond hair…and fangs and brow ridges.

Ajaya screamed once again. It occurred to her that screaming was getting to be rather annoying…

* * *

Isabelle watched as the vampire sat himself down in the armchair across from where she was still chained to the wall. His eyes traveled slowly up and down her body, studying every detail with an intensity that caused her cheeks to burn.

And it irked her.

The problem was that her first reaction upon seeing him in his human features hadn’t been ‘kill’ so much as ‘yum’. He was of average height and build, but she could tell that powerful muscles rippled under the tan spanner pants and white T-shirt he wore. His hair was brown and slicked back, also somewhat average-looking.

It was his face that was so striking. It was a harsh face, sharp lines defining high cheekbones and strong jaw, but it had a steely beauty to it. His eyes were deep and blue and inescapable, and she felt as if his every look were a caress.

In short, the female part of her had to agree with the ‘yum’.

The Slayer part of her, however, was screaming that this was a powerful vampire, one not to be messed with. In a strange way, it almost made him seem sexier.

He continued to observe her in that falsely disinterested way. One of his hands reached into his pocket and pulled out a packed of cigarettes. He flicked open a lighter with his other hand with experienced grace and took a deep drag on the cigarette. She could tell from the color of the smoke that these were genuine, cancerous cigarettes, not the new substitutes with no side effects that had become so popular in recent decades.

Of course, cancer probably wasn’t much of a concern to someone who was already dead.

It was unusual, though. Isabelle had been taught early on that one of the best ways to spot a vamp was by how misplaced they tended to seem in time. The fact that the new breath-freshening cigarettes had become so common actually made it _easier_ to spot vamps. They tended to avoid anything having to do with fire.

This one, however, seemed to have no concern whatsoever for his highly flammable state.

He took several more drags out of his cigarette with relaxed slowness. One of his legs came up to hang over the arm as he continued to just sit there and watch her blush turn several shades more red.

Isabelle finally decided she had had enough. So what if he knew exactly how to push her buttons? And, boy, were they _pushed_...

“What do you want from me?” she demanded icily.

His gaze turned to her face, and she was captured by those dark, sapphirine eyes once more. “What do you think I want, Slayer?” he replied unhelpfully, taking another drag from his cigarette.

“If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with,” Isabelle hissed. “I’m sure I’ve got lots of things I should be doing in the afterlife.”

He gave her a sly smirk. “You’ve got nerve,” he said at last. “It should serve you well as a Slayer.” He stood up with such liquid, feline grace that Isabelle hadn’t even registered the fact that he’d moved until he stood right in front of her. “If you live that long…” he added as an afterthought, gently brushing back a curly, auburn strand of hair from her face.

Isabelle instantly whipped her head to the side, snapping at him with her teeth.

His hand elegantly slipped out of her reach, and he gave her a delighted smile. “You really are quite the firebrand, aren’t you, Isabelle?” he smirked. “Isabelle,” he repeated to himself. “It’s rather long and unwieldy, isn’t it? Do you have a nickname or something? Izzy? Belle? No, those are both horrible…”

“I’m the Slayer to you,” her face was red with anger now. “And don’t you _ever_ touch me!”

“Slayer’s already taken,” he said thoughtfully, completely unconcerned with her fury. “So is Red,” he gestured to her dyed hair. “Maybe we can work those teeth into it somehow… Tigress? No, not quite… Lioness!” He faced widened in a broad smile.

“What _are_ you going on about?” Isabelle demanded.

“It fits you well, Lioness,” he took another step toward her so that their faces were only inches apart. “My fierce, little Lioness…”

“I’m not your anything!” she screeched, attempting to bash her head into his. She missed, of course. He easily ducked to the side, and the only thing she succeeded in doing was making herself dizzy. Apparently, she hadn’t fully recovered from the blow to her head yet.

“Hey, take it easy,” he caught her when she slumped.

“Let me go!” she trashed wildly in his arms.

He backed off slowly, his hands held up before him. “Just trying to help is all, pet,” he assured her.

Isabelle’s head was starting to turn. “Why are you doing this?” she asked wearily. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to have a nice chat with you,” he said cheekily, “spend some quality time together, maybe bond a bit…”

“You’re a vampire; I’m the Slayer,” she rolled her eyes. “Quit fooling around.”

“Believe it or not,” he said, collapsing back into the armchair, “I’m not fooling around with you. And the name does suit you. Do you know what a lioness does?”

“Kills things,” she said bluntly. “Look, if you’re one of those vamps with a soul that’s out looking for redemption, you don’t have to tie me up to—”

She was cut short when he threw his head back and let out a loud whoop of laughter. “A soul?” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh, should’ve seen me with a soul, Lioness! I would probably be trying to feed you tea and crumpets, bloody ponce that I was.”

The phrase ‘bloody ponce’ was said outside of his flawless Spanish accent, and Isabelle was pretty sure the words were English, but they didn’t make much sense to her.

“Not a soul on me,” he finished, fixing on her again with those lovely eyes.

“Then what do you mean?” Isabelle’s curiosity was getting the better of her again.

“You’re right about the lioness,” he said thoughtfully. “She’s the one that makes all the kills. A whole pack of them get together, and they just serve the needs of one lazy male. And that’s you, baby, catering to the needs of your Watcher while he sits snug in his car completely unconcerned about whether you’ll ever come back.”

Isabelle sighed in frustration. “Yeah, well it’s not like I have a lot of choice, do I?” she retorted. “I’m the Slayer; it’s what I do. In every generation, there is a Chosen One—”

“Still giving you _that_ old speech, are they?” he chuckled softly. “Well, I suppose it’s just like them not to update it… You’re not the Slayer, my coy Lioness,” he leaned toward her slowly. “You’re only _a_ Slayer…”

“Fine, fine,” Isabelle batted her hand carelessly inside its cuff, “so one came before me, and one before her, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum.”

“True,” the vampire agreed, “but not the _whole_ truth. You see, even if you only look at this very moment in time, you’re still only _a_ Slayer.”

“What do you mean?” Isabelle’s eyes narrowed.

“There are five others Called right now, Lioness. Or six, depending on your point of view…” his brow furrowed, and he seemed to be pondering something for a second before shaking his head. “Six Slayers total, luv. There’s no Chosen _One_ about it.”

Isabelle stood there dumbfounded for a minute. Then she shook her head and laughed. “Yeah, right!” she scoffed. “Good one. You really had me going there for a minute. _Six_ Slayers?! Everyone knows there’s just the one!”

“You mean the news media _thinks_ there’s only one,” he countered, “and your Watcher confirmed it.”

“Well, of course,” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “And why would my Watcher lie, anyway? Especially about something like that?”

“That’s a long story,” he looked at her seriously. “There was a time when there was only one Slayer. But then she died. So another was Called. The thing was that the first Slayer didn’t stay dead. You see, she had drowned, but a little CPR and she was back in the world of the living. So, suddenly the Watchers have _two_ Slayers.”

Isabelle frowned. The circumstance was possible, she had to admit. And even she wasn’t quite sure what would happen if such a situation should occur. “Suppose I buy this,” she said, “not that I do,” she hastily added. “Why wouldn’t that be a good thing? Two Slayers working together?”

“You’d think it would, wouldn’t you?” he replied. “Even the Watchers thought so at first, had the two of them team up and everything. The problem was when the two Slayers got together, they started working without the Watchers. They were strong, didn’t need their soggy Brit overlords anymore. It got to the point once where _both_ Slayers had fired the Council, and trust me, kitten, the Watchers do _not_ like to have their authority questioned.”

“So you’re telling me the Watchers kept the Slayers apart in order to control them?” Isabelle exclaimed incredulously. “Hey, they may be annoying and selfish, but they’re not _that_ bossy.”

“Are you so sure?” the vampire asked. “How would you ever know if they were lying?”

“Well, it would be in the news,” Isabelle said after a brief pause. “They couldn’t cover something like that up.”

“And have you appeared in the news so often, luv?” he retorted. “If there was another Slayer out there, would _she_ have heard of _you_?”

“Well…my kills do get chalked up to rogue demon hunters,” she said, “but that’s only to keep my location a secret.”

“It does do that,” he agreed. “It also means that no one really knows anything about where a Slayer is or what she does. For all you know, there could be one squirreled away in every country, but you would never hear about it. Just about kills done by ‘rogue demon hunters’.”

Isabelle frowned. “Wasn’t there a scandal about this a while back?” she tried to remember.

“Ah yes,” the vampire let out a frustrated sigh. “We tried to get the truth out: showed the media our two Slayers at the same time. The Watchers managed to make it look like a hoax, said we’d just pumped the girls up on steroids or magic or something.”

“And you expect _me_ to believe you _now_?” Isabelle gave him an incredulous stare.

“Not particularly,” he lit up another cigarette. “I just want you to listen for now.”

“I don’t seem to have much of a choice,” Isabelle sulked.

“Do you want to know _why_ the Slayers quit the Council?” he asked.

“Sanity?” she quipped.

He laughed. “Pretty much,” he agreed. “See, the Watchers have this little test they like to run on their Slayers. They wait until they hit eighteen, and then they give them this drug that takes away all their Slayer strength. So now that the Slayer’s weak and helpless, the Watchers throw her in with the nastiest vamp they can get their hands on. The Slayer can’t handle it, too bad, another will just get Called. Can you see why the Slayers weren’t exactly fond of this practice?”

“You’re lying!” she insisted. “Why would the Watchers want to do something like that?”

“Control again, Lioness,” he said. “They don’t want their Slayers to have second thoughts about what they’re told, don’t want them to be independent, don’t want them to _grow up_. So they kill them before they have a chance.”

She bit back a peel of laughter. “I don’t believe you,” she insisted.

“You go right on not believing me,” he said cheerily enough, “but just make sure you _listen_.”

She shrugged, and he went on.

“So, now we’ve got two Slayers and neither want to work for the Council. Luckily, one of them dies at work. Another is Called, and the Watchers nab her right up so no one knows about her. But that Slayer that died, she really doesn’t like to stay dead. There’s a bit of magical hanky-panky, and she’s on her third life. So now we’ve got one, two, three Slayers,” he counted out on his fingers as he said this.

“I can count,” she said coldly.

“No doubt about that, my Lioness,” he gave her a sly smile. “Well, right about now the Council’s getting a bit freaked. See, there are two rogue Slayers, and they’ve only got one. So they decide to create another for their side. They tell their Slayer all about her Sacred Duty and how she can aid the fight against evil…if only she’ll let them kill her for a short time.

“This girl’s been raised by Watchers all her life, so she goes along with it. So they take her, and they do the drowning thing again. Sure enough, Slayer #4 pops up. But when they revive #3, things don’t work out quite right. It seems she’s suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen. She goes a bit crazy and has to be put down. But it’s no big deal because another gets Called after her, and there are still four Slayers.”

“That’s terrible!” Isabelle exclaimed before she could stop herself. She was surprised when he didn’t gloat over her admission.

“It was a sad, nasty business,” he said slowly. “A lot of people got hurt in that one…”

He drifted off into his memories for a minute, and Isabelle had to cough loudly several times before he returned to his story.

“So now there’s four,” he quickly came to. “Well, slaying’s a dangerous job as I’m sure you’re aware, even if you have only been at it for a little while. You get exposed to all kinds of nasty magics and such. That’s what happened to one of them. A spell got cast on her by accident, split her right in two. The caster gets killed, and suddenly we’ve got permanent Slayer twins.”

“That makes five,” Isabelle said.

“Six is a bit confusing,” he went on. “You see, somewhere around the year 4000, a sorcerer’s going to send a Slayer back in time to try to stop another demon from the future from changing history and ending the world. It’s a mess of a story, but the just of it is, the Slayer from the future gets stuck back here, and when she dies, a new one’s Called into our time.”

“Six Slayers…” Isabelle repeated softly. This was actually starting to freak her out a bit. It was an awfully contorted – and convincing – story for the vampire to come up with for the sole purpose of messing with her head.

“Six Slayers,” he agreed. “Some fight for the Council, some fight against it. Some die at sixteen, others make it past forty. Some have no lives, others do. Some work alone for their Watchers—”

“And others work for you, am I right?” Isabelle cut him off.

“Smart girl,” he gave her a slight smile. “Although they work for my employers, not for me.”

“And you want me to work for you, too, is that it?” Isabelle demanded.

“Ultimately, yes,” he agreed. “I think that would be in both our best interests.”

“And if I don’t?” Isabelle’s eyes narrowed.

“Then I do exactly what I’d do otherwise,” he said. “I give you an injection of this,” he removed a needle from a bag on the table, “to knock you out while we take you back to your Watcher. I give you our number. Then it’s up to sort it out and decide which side you want to work for.” He caught ahold of her arm and stuck the needle into it.

“I don’t…” she gasped as the sharp needle stuck into her flesh, “…believe you…”

“That’s fine, Lioness,” his voice said, drifting slowly away. “But I wouldn’t mention this little incident to your Watcher if I were you, or you might have your choice made for you…”

And Isabelle’s world faded into blackness.

* * *

“Don’t worry,” the female vampire said in response to Ajaya’s obvious fear. “We’re good vampires. Got nice shiny souls and everything, just like you humans.”

“G-Good vampires?” Ajaya said in disbelief. “Is there such a thing?”

The woman shook her head, and the planes of her face shifted, showing a petite and rather lovely countenance. “Don’t believe what you see on the news,” she advised Ajaya. “Vampires are no different than any other demons or humans. You’ve got the good right along with the bad.”

“Why should I believe you?” Ajaya shrunk back in her seat.

“We saved you, didn’t we?” the male in front turned around to look at her, and she noticed that he was strikingly handsome.

“From other vampires,” she retorted. “I don’t want to get caught up in your clan war, or whatever.”

“Actually,” the female beside her sighed, “those were Watchers that were chasing us.”

“What?!” Ajaya exclaimed in disbelief. “But they’re the good guys! Why were they…?” She trailed off, suddenly feeling very tired.

“They didn’t anticipate you becoming the Slayer,” the female vampire beside her smiled kindly. “The Watchers like to have their Slayers well under their thumb before they’re Called. It makes them easier to control.”

“But, why were they trying to kill me?” Ajaya demanded. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”

“That doesn’t matter to them,” her savior replied. “They’ve had bad experiences with free-willed Slayers, so they just send vamps after the untrained ones now to ‘test’ them.”

“But I never would have had a chance!” Ajaya insisted.

“That’s what they were hoping.”

Ajaya was suddenly overcome with everything that had happened to her in the past day and began sobbing softly into her hands. “I didn’t ask for this,” she said. “I just wanted to be a normal girl, to have a normal life!”

“I hear you,” the vampiress said, “but it’s tough once you’ve been Called.”

“It’s impossible!” Ajaya declared. “I’ve seen the special reports…”

“Yeah, well those don’t tell the whole truth,” the vampire driving said. “There are ways to be a Slayer and have a life, too.”

“How?” Ajaya asked.

“If you’ll let us, we’d love to show you,” the woman smiled at her.

“OK,” Ajaya said softly, “but…who are you people?”

The vampiress slapped herself on the forehead at her oversight and laughed. “Sorry,” she said. “This is my Sire, Nicolas, and I’m Buffy, the Vampire Slayer…”


	4. Chapter 4

Isabelle awoke with the mother of all headaches on a park bench in the clearing she’d fought in the night before. What awoke her was a hard shove in the shoulder.

“C’mon, Miss, get up,” the police officer nudged her.

She groaned and managed to sit up.

“You all right?” he asked, noticing that she was a bit more out of it than he’d first guessed.

“Fine,” she said, struggling not to appear too dizzy when she got up. “Just…a little tired on my lunch break,” she said, quickly assessing the time of day and using it to her advantage.

“You’d best just get back to work then,” the officer gave her a friendly smile. “Wouldn’t want to be late.”

“No,” Isabelle flashed a broad smile in response, “and thank you for waking me.”

“No problem at all, ma’am,” he waved to her.

She walked calmly from the park until she was out of his sight before breaking into a run. Her Watcher’s car was, of course, gone. Fortunately, it was only a little over a mile’s walk to his apartment. She made the run in less than five minutes.

“Isabelle!” he exclaimed in amazement after finally answering her frantic pounding. “What happened? Where have you been?”

“A vamp kidnapped me,” she said breathlessly as she was ushered into the posh apartment. “He had me locked up somewhere. An old castle, I think.”

“Are you all right?” Mr. West went into the kitchen to start brewing some tea. “They didn’t…?”

“No,” Isabelle shook her head. “I wasn’t bitten.”

“How ever did you escape?” he demanded.

“He just let me go,” Isabelle shrugged. “It was really weird. This vamp – he wasn’t like anything I’ve encountered before. He was strong, unbeatable. And he didn’t want to kill me.”

“What did he look like?” her Watcher demanded.

“Average height, slim build, brown hair, _gorgeous_ blue eyes…” she rattled off.

Mr. West gave her a disapproving glare down his glasses at her last statement. “Accent?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I think he spoke English. I couldn’t place his accent, though.”

“British?”

“I don’t think so,” her brow furrowed for a minute. “He didn’t sound like you. My guess is maybe Australian?”

“You sure it wasn’t British?” West persisted. “Maybe lower class British?”

“It could have been,” she shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Did he have a scar?” her Watcher abruptly switched his line of questioning. “On the left eyebrow?”

“No,” Isabelle shook her head firmly. “Definitely no scar.”

He seemed to relax a bit at this. “And you didn’t get a name?”

“He didn’t say,” she shook her head.

“And what exactly _did_ he say?” Mr. West asked.

“Er…” Isabelle paused for a moment, thinking for the first time about her kidnapper’s final warning. “He basically just ranted a bit,” she finally settled, “talked all about souled vamps and how the Watcher’s Council doesn’t cut them any slack.”

“He had a soul then?” her Watcher sighed.

“I guess,” Isabelle shrugged. “I mean, he was cool and all. He didn’t try to attack me or anything once he’d caught me.”

West set the tea down in front of her with a small smile. “It was probably nothing then. Just another of those bothersome souled vampires trying to get a sympathetic ear for their sob stories.”

“Yeah,” she smiled nervously, hoping that the little lie she’d just told wasn’t written all over her face. “I kind of figured that, too.”

“Did the rival factions show?” West turned to more important matters…from his perspective, at least.

“Mmm-hmm,” she nodded vigorously. “Dusted four Aurelians and four Dareians.”

“Quite satisfactory,” West nodded slightly. “I believe you are ready for your first real test tonight.”

“Uh…wait a minute,” Isabelle broke in. “Wasn’t _last_ night my ‘first test’?”

“Just preparation,” he assured her. “Tonight we go for a nest.”

“By ‘we’, I assume you mean ‘me’,” she made a frowny face when she tasted the foul tea in her cup.

“Yes,” he agreed, “which means you should get some sleep. I’m going out to run errands, and when I get back I expect you’ll be ready to train.”

“Yeah, sure,” she yawned and lay back on the couch, closing her eyes.

She listened while he fussed about the apartment for his keys and wallet. Only once he had shut the door behind him and she heard the key turn in the lock, did she open her eyes. She sat up, waiting for a minute or so before she scrambled over to the computer at the desk in the corner.

She fiddled through her pockets, finally finding the scrap of paper her captor had promised her. She typed the number into the special tracking system the Watcher’s Council provided all its members with. The computer paused a minute, processing her request, and then a message appeared on the screen:

“NUMBER RESTRICTED. WORLD GOVERNMENT, DIVISION SCBI. SOURCE LOCATION: UNTRACEABLE.”

Isabelle stared at the screen thoughtfully for a few minutes before erasing her request from the computer’s memory. She plopped back down on the couch and considered her options.

It seemed the vamp she had talked to was legit. She didn’t know much about SCBI – no one did, in truth – but she _did_ know that the government sometimes hired them to deal with dangerous demonic situations.

If anything, it made her even more confused than before…

* * *

Ajaya watched in amusement as her two vampire companions disembarked from the plane in front of her, their fingers still firmly intertwined. The two had been linked together all throughout the flight while they had told her stories of Slayers and demons and magical forces.

She was surprisingly discovering that they were actually quite personable. She’d seen news reports on vampires that had the misfortune to become ensouled. Mostly, they described the torment and anguish such beings had to endure. The picture was nothing like that Buffy and Nicolas portrayed. The two laughed and chided each other and reminisced about experiences they’d shared decades ago.

In short, they were fun travelling companions, and they’d arrived in New York before she knew what was happening.

She smiled wryly as they passed a new monitor describing a vampire attack in Bombay. The newscaster informed viewers that there had been one casualty and one patient in critical condition before rogue demon hunters had taken care of the matter. Of course, _she_ was the patient ‘in critical condition’. Nicolas had arranged the false story to get her out of school while they made their trip.

It was all very exciting. Flying off to a country she’d never visited before, lying to her teachers, secret cover stories, and tales of averted apocalypses… Ajaya quickly decided that this part of the demon hunter’s life was a hell of a lot more fun than what she’d experienced last night.

They were in a black hovercar now, being chauffeured to what Buffy jokingly called the ‘Old Library’. Ajaya stared out the window as the countryside whizzed by, old stately mansions lining the road. After a while, the houses grew scarcer and scarcer as they moved into less populated areas of upstate New York. Buffy had fallen asleep on Nicolas’ shoulder, their hands still linked together, and soon he joined the vampiress in sleep.

Ajaya took the opportunity to pester the driver – a middle-aged native New Yorker – all about everything she’d seen since she arrived in the US. He told her a bit about the area – mostly of the native rituals and witch covens that had lived here in the past. Ajaya had finally asked why his knew such odd things, and he laughingly admitted to having worked under the employ of the demon hunters for over twenty-five years.

“And here we are,” he said at last, slowing the car down to a halt outside a massive antique-looking iron gate. “SCBI Central…in the US, that is.” A pair of scanners rose from the ground on either side of the vehicle, and a red detector beam passed from the front bumper of the car to the back.

“SCAN COMPLETE,” a message flashed on the front dashboard. “SIMON DENTON, ELIZABETH SUMMERS, NICOLAS TRENT APPROVED. IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL PASSENGER.”

“Say your name, sweetie,” the driver – Simon, she concluded – gestured to the microphone on the dash.

“Ajaya Gupta,” she said nervously.

“Slayer and new recruit,” Simon added.

“ACCESS GRANTED,” the computer message beeped off and slowly the gates opened.

Ajaya’s eyes widened in amazement at the mansion that rose up before them. It was obviously very old, polished wood and colonnades outlining the Victorian structure.

“It’s beautiful,” she said in awe.

“Yup,” Buffy said, yawning lazily as she awoke from her nap. “That was pretty much my first impression, too.”

The car pulled to a stop before the elaborately carved front doors, and the two vampires and the Slayer stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. The doors opened from the inside in anticipation of their arrival, and they were quickly ushered inside before the doors were quickly slammed shut.

“Daylight,” Buffy explained at Ajaya’s puzzled look. “The vamps in here don’t want to get dusty.”

“Then, how did you—?” Ajaya began.

“Trade secret,” Nicolas winked at her. “Can’t give everything away so soon…”

“Well?” an old woman stood in the entryway, tapping her foot impatiently. “Isn’t anyone going to say hello?”

“Will!” Buffy cried out, catching the woman up in her embrace. “It’s been _forever_!”

“Yes, it has,” the woman’s pout was now quite obviously fake to Ajaya. “That vampire stud of yours been keeping you too busy to visit your oldest and best friend?”

“ _Will_!” this time Buffy’s tone was decidedly embarrassed. “You dirty dog!”

“You bet,” the old woman flashed her a wide grin, with straight, white teeth. “And who have we here?” she turned to Ajaya.

“Will, this is Ajaya Gupta, the new Slayer…or one of them, at least,” Buffy said. “Ajaya, this is Willow Rosenberg. She’s the high priestess of our local Wiccan coven.”

“Among other things,” Willow grinned and shook Ajaya’s hand. The young Indian woman was surprised how strong this apparently ancient woman’s grip was. “So, you’re new to this, huh? Pretty freaky stuff.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Ajaya smiled, instantly put at ease by the calm and friendly aura that surrounded the Witch.

“Ah, I remember my first vamp encounter all too well,” Willow giggled slightly. The gesture seemed both unusual and oddly appropriate for the old woman. “I got kidnapped, and they tried to sacrifice me for the Harvest. Buffy here stopped them, though,” she put an arm around the blond vampiress. “So,” she gave Ajaya a sly smile, “met any hot vamps yet? Other than Nicky here, that is…”

“Will!” Buffy gave her a good-natured shove, and Ajaya’s face turned bright red.

“What? Isn’t that one of the perks of the job?” Willow joked.

“Maybe,” Buffy conceded, “but knock it off. You’re scaring off Ajaya.”

“No, I’m OK,” Ajaya insisted, holding her hand in front of her mouth to stifle her giggles. She had to admit, if other vampires were as attractive as Nicolas, she might easily find herself as tempted as Buffy…

“See?” Willow said. “She’s got a sense of humor. A Slayer needs that. Oh! Can you quip?”

“Quip?” Ajaya looked at her confusedly.

“Ignore the crazy old woman,” Buffy led her down the hallway. “She’s just being her normal Willow-y self.”

“The only way I know how to be,” the old Witch agreed.

“Ajaya needs the tour now, so we’ll see you later, Will,” Buffy continued on her way with Ajaya behind her.

“Good-bye, Ms. Rosenberg,” Ajaya waved.

“It’s Will,” Willow insisted before turning to talk to Nicolas.

“She’s very nice,” Ajaya commented as they made their way down the hallway.

“Yeah,” Buffy looked back over her shoulder. “She’s been my best friend since high school.”

“You are _that_ old?” Ajaya said in surprise.

Buffy laughed. “One of the benefits of being a vampire,” she replied, “eternal youth. I’m seventy-seven, total. Fifty-one as a vampire.”

“Then you’re eternally twenty-six,” Ajaya calculated.

“Oh, a math whiz…although I suppose I already knew that from all those equations you were fiddling with on the plane,” Buffy added. “But, yup. Twenty-six plus five days. Did it that way on purpose.”

“On purpose?” Ajaya asked.

“To be the same age as my mate,” Buffy clarified as they entered a large hall.

“Woah.” Ajaya looked up at the massive ceiling.

“Impressive, no?” Buffy smiled at her reaction.

“What have we here?” a woman of about thirty stood up from her seat on the couch. “Do mine eyes detect another Slayer among us?”

“Thine eyes do indeed,” Buffy gave an embarrassed Ajaya a shove into the center of the group of people seated in the ballroom. “Everyone, this is Ajaya Gupta. Ajaya, this is Lily Rosenberg-Doogan – Willow’s daughter,” she gestured to the standing brunette, “Richard Rowan,” she indicated a young Hispanic-looking man, “David Salvatore,” this man looked very much related to Richard, “they’re both grand-nephews of mine,” Buffy added, “Melissa Harris,” she went on to a petite blond woman, “Julia Stevenson,” she indicated a pretty young red-head, “and…” she paused when her gaze rested on a midnight-blue demon with ram’s horns and white stripes running down its face, “and…I have no idea, but meet him anyway,” she finished lamely.

“Sorry!” one of the black-haired men – Ajaya had already forgotten which – slapped his forehead. “Xeris, this is Buffy; Buffy, Xeris. He’s one of the Velik demons we rescued last month, and he’s decided to stay on with us.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Buffy shook his taloned hand.

Ajaya settled for a nervous smile and a wave.

“So, everyone,” Buffy said, noticing Ajaya’s sudden nervousness, “now you’ve met Ajaya. We have to continue on the tour now.”

“Bye,” Ajaya’s face was bright red, and she slowly backed away.

“We’ll see you later,” one of the two Hispanic men flashed her a wide grin.

“Yeah, at dinner,” the other gave her an identical smile.

“OK,” Ajaya agreed and practically ran from the room.

“A bit shy, are we?” Buffy gave her a sympathetic smile.

“I’m not really very good with large groups of people,” Ajaya ducked her head.

“Don’t worry about,” Buffy gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. “We’re all family here, anyway.”

“I’ve already forgotten everyone’s names,” Ajaya confessed. “And most of their faces…except for that horned thing…”

Buffy’s brows drew together. “It’s OK,” she insisted. “ _I’ve_ forgotten the horned thing’s name, too.”

Ajaya laughed at the vampiress’ distraught expression. “Just so long as there’s not a test later.”

“There shouldn’t be,” Buffy assured her, “unless Fletcher’s gotten even _more_ anal since I was here last…”

“Fletcher?”

“Head honcho. Ex-Watcher son of an Ex-Watcher. Stuffy Brit,” Buffy explained. “He’s probably sitting in his office right now, hands folded on his desk, all the other Watchers he could find flanking him… He’ll have his glasses perched right at the end of his nose so he can stare down over them at you. And he’ll insist that you call him ‘Mr. Price’, but just call him ‘Fletcher’. He _hates_ that.”

Ajaya laughed at Buffy’s description…

* * *

With a hard kick, Isabelle knocked the door off its hinges.

The five figures nearest to the door went scrambling as the sunlight streamed in, smoke hissing from their skin as they did so.

Isabelle quickly trained her crossbow on the next closest two, dusting them in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that meant that she was now inside their lair, far from the protection of the sun’s rays.

Four vampires jumped her all at once, and she went down hard. She managed to kick off the two vamps that held her legs, and her foot collided with the female on top of her right before the vampiress had a chance to sink her fangs into Isabelle’s throat.

Isabelle rolled free of the remaining vamp’s grasp and slipped a stake from her sleeve. She caught the female squarely in the back while dodging the blow of another.

It was at about this point that Isabelle started to panic. There were at least twenty vamps left in the place, and the only weapons she had left were this stake and two others still hidden on her person.

She had just assessed her odds as hopeless when he joined the fray.

The vampire that had so recently held her hostage leapt from the roof beams to her side just as the nest of vamps decided to rush her again. Isabelle intuitively knew that he wasn’t there to fight her and turned her attention instead to the three minions in front of her.

Number One went down with a quick kick to the gut. Number Two impaled himself accidentally upon her upraised stake. Three was more skilled, and Isabelle exchanged a series of blows with the redheaded vamp before finally staking him.

Of course, by this time Number One was on her feet again, and Four, Five, Six, and Seven had decided to join the party.

Isabelle struggled as best she could with such overwhelming odds. She managed to get Six before the others finally took her down.

However, before Four’s fangs could pierce her throat, he was lifted from her body by Isabelle’s unlikely ally. The brown-haired vamp threw her attacker across the room to where the patch of sunlight at the door still leaked in. The minion screamed when the light hit him and instantly burst into flames.

Meanwhile, the brown-haired vamp finished the rest of the minions that held Isabelle with ruthless efficiency.

She scrambled to her feet and looked around to find that no more vampires were left. There was only a thick layer of dust surrounding where her companion had been fighting.

“You all right, Lioness?” he asked, lighting up a cigarette.

She nodded dazedly. “Thank you,” she said soberly. “I couldn’t have taken them without you.”

“That’s the thing about this work,” he said, leading the way to the door. “You want to live, you’ve got to learn to work with others.”

“ ‘The Slayer works alone’,” Isabelle quoted.

“Not necessarily,” he took another drag from his cigarette.

“You are with the SCBI,” Isabelle decided to play her trump card.

“Very good,” he stopped at the edge of the patch of sunlight by the door. “You checked on the number I gave you.”

“I did,” she agreed.

“Did you check on the information I gave you about the other Slayers?” he asked.

Isabelle’s brow furrow. “Not yet,” she admitted.

“I’d do that if I were you,” he flicked his cigarette to the ground and put it out with the toe of his boot. “You can never have too much information.”

And with that, he stepped out into the daylight.

Isabelle gasped in horror. And then in surprise when he didn’t combust. “H-How—?” she managed to stammer.

“An old trade secret, Lioness,” he gave her a lop-sided smirk. “Think about what I said,” he added before blending into the crowd and vanishing with an uncanny grace…


	5. Chapter 5

Ajaya laughed even harder when Fletcher Price was _exactly_ the way Buffy had described him. Buffy quickly covered for her, handing her a tissue to put over her mouth in a desperate attempt to make it look like she was blowing her nose instead of cracking up.

Fletcher rolled his eyes in a long-suffering way, and the line of imposing-looking people flanking him on both sides did rather poor jobs of concealing their smiles.

“Greetings, Ms. Gupta,” Fletcher extended his hand to her in a hopeless effort to restore the dignity of his station. “My name is Fletcher Price. You can call me Mr. Price.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr…” Buffy abruptly elbowed Ajaya. “Um…Fletcher,” she quickly amended her form of address.

“Oh god,” he took off his glasses and began rubbing the bridge of his nose. “They’ve gotten to you, too!”

Behind him, Willow gave Ajaya a round of silent applause, and the old woman next to her stuck her tongue out at Fletcher’s back.

Ajaya began giggling hopelessly again. This time Buffy didn’t bother to try to cover it up but joined her instead.

“So nice to know that my skills as a comedian are enough to bring Slayers to their knees,” Fletcher huffed good-naturedly. “And you two can stop whatever you’re doing behind me,” he turned around to give Willow and the other old woman a nasty glare.

They both put on perfectly innocent straight faces until he turned his back to them again…at which point, they quickly gave each other a high five.

“Yes, well,” Fletcher persisted despite the new round of hysteria that passed through the room at two elderly woman acting like thirteen-year-olds, “despite our…less than professional appearance, we do have important matters do discuss.”

“Of course,” Buffy was still giggling slightly.

“Ms. Gupta…may I call you Ajaya? Ajaya, then,” he said after her nod, “we are here to assist you in any way that we can concerning the decisions you must now make about your life.”

“Decisions?” Ajaya asked, perplexed.

“Well, for one you’ve just been Called as a Slayer,” Fletcher said, getting into his topic. “You first must decide whether you wish to accept your Calling.”

“I-I don’t have a choice,” Ajaya looked confusedly at Buffy, “do I?”

“You will retain a Slayer’s abilities for the rest of your life no matter which way you choose,” Fletcher clarified. “Whether you actually decide to use those abilities to fight off the forces of darkness is entirely up to you.”

“You mean I could just drop being a Slayer and go back to school?” Ajaya’s brow furrowed. “You would let me do that?”

“We would,” Fletcher said slowly, “should you make that choice.”

“But?” Ajaya prompted.

“You don’t always get a choice about that part,” Buffy stepped in. “I tried not to be a Slayer several times, but it never really took. The Powers That Be have a tendency to push a Slayer toward her Calling.”

“Then I don’t have a choice,” Ajaya’s eyebrow rose.

“Even if you fulfill a Slayer’s duties, you still have many options,” Fletcher continued. “Many Slayers take temporary leaves of absence when something such as, say, school is more important to them at the moment.”

“I thought Slayers were exempt from school.”

“Exempt,” Buffy agreed, “but only if they want to be. I finished up my college degree and everything while slaying.”

“You are saying that I could continue my education?” Ajaya demanded clarification.

“We encourage our Slayers to do so, in fact,” Fletcher said. “We’ve found that they tend to need something in their lives outside the demon hunting world.”

“And who exactly are ‘we’?” Ajaya pressed him, a bit irked that no one would answer this one simple question for her.

Fletcher turned to the individuals behind him and got several nods before addressing her. “We are the chief division of SCBI in the United States,” he began.

“I know that,” Ajaya persisted, “but what does that _mean_?”

“It means,” Fletcher leaned over to look over the rim of his glasses at her, “that we are the world’s most elite squad of demon hunters. Those groups that you hear about on the news? That’s us. It is our mission to provide the safest, most efficient, and most fair-minded means of dealing with any and all supernatural forces.”

“Yet you work with demons and vampires?”

“It is our job to _prevent_ supernatural beings from harming humans,” Fletcher clarified, “not to kill them indiscriminately. Our goal is to give demons the same justice that humans receive with regular law-enforcement.”

“You are not affiliated with the Council of Watchers then,” Ajaya observed.

“They are our most outspoken opponents,” the Ex-Watcher confessed. “They wish to maintain their…monopoly on the Slayers.”

“And you wish to take me away from them,” Ajaya concluded.

“Clever young woman,” Fletcher graced her with a brief smile. “Slayers are very hard allies to come by. We do indeed benefit greatly by each Slayer that chooses to side with us instead of the Watchers. However, we will not force you in this matter. Our…technique, if you will, is to provide a better lifestyle for our employees, so that we both benefit alike from working together.”

“It sounds nice enough,” Ajaya looked unconvinced, “but what does it mean?”

“It means that we abandon all the techniques the Watchers have been sticking to for centuries that don’t work,” Fletcher began. “We provide all Slayers with proper training before we send them out in the field. We give them proper supervision while they gain experience. We always have backup close at hand – and the most skilled backup, at that. We do everything we possibly can to keep our people alive, and that’s all our people, not just the Slayer. If you should ever find yourself in danger, we have over two hundred demon hunters at our disposal – at this facility alone – that will come to your aid.

“In addition, we do what we can to meet any other needs you might have. We create a comfortable home here that you can always come back to, if you should want it. We allow for education, employment—”

“And they pay you, too,” Buffy chimed in, “so you don’t get stuck in a dead end job because every time you get a _good_ job, you get fired for dusting vamps at work or having demon guts on your suit. Not so nice fact about the Watcher’s Council: they refuse to pay their Slayers.”

“And, yes, there’s Buffy’s personal crusade as well,” Fletcher gave her an annoyed glance.

“It sounds too good to be true,” Ajaya commented softly.

“I helped create this group for exactly that reason,” Buffy said. “I _hated_ the way the Watchers wanted me to do my job, so I found my own way. And I ended up being the longest-lived Slayer in over a century. The Council hated it, but my way worked better. So we just decided to keep expanding and expanding, and here we are today, all big and important in this huge mansion with everything from witches to vampires to werewolves working for us. It _does_ work,” she insisted. “The Slayers that work for us have ten times the life-span of the Watchers’.”

“But they still die,” Ajaya said soberly.

Fletcher sighed. “I won’t lie to you. Many of our Slayers still die young. Nina – the Slayer you replaced – was only twenty. However, most Council Slayers never make it past eighteen. Nina is the youngest we’ve lost in over thirty years.”

“And not all Slayers die,” a middle-aged woman with graying blond hair stepped forward. “I believe this is where I come in?” she gave Fletcher a wry smile.

“By all means, Maddie,” he gestured for her to continue.

“My name is Dr. Madelyn Carmichael,” the woman extended her hand to Ajaya, “the Vampire Slayer,” she added with a sly quirk of the mouth.

Ajaya’s eyes widened. “You’re—?”

“Forty-seven, a family doctor, and still kickin’,” Maddie laughed at her reaction. “I’ve been a Slayer for thirty years now, and I’m pretty much retired. All I really do for the Scoobies anymore is impress new recruits.”

Fletcher gave her an annoyed look.

“It’s true,” Maddie insisted. “Don’t try to trick the girl. She’s too smart for you, Fletch.”

The Ex-Watcher let out a weary sigh. “I suppose so,” he admitted. “Well?” he turned to Ajaya. “What do you think?”

* * *

Isabelle awoke to the soft beeping sound of her watch alarm going off. Slayer reflexes allowed her to switch it off just before the third beep. She checked the time. 3:00 AM. Perfect.

She stayed still for about ten minutes to make sure that West hadn’t woken up. Her Watcher had the disturbing ability to wake up at the sound of a pin dropping. But apparently he hadn’t heard her alarm.

On tiptoes she walked over to the computer and quickly disconnected the laptop and slipped it into its travelling case. She caught hold of her shoes in her other hand and quietly slipped out of the door.

Only once she was down on the street did she dare put her shoes on. She ran the fifteen blocks to a small electronics shop and began banging on the door. It was another ten minutes before she heard grumbling on the other side.

“It’s three in the morning!” the voice screamed at her through the door. “We’re _closed_!”

“Mr. Lopez, it is me, Isabelle,” she called back. “This is a matter of greatest importance!”

The yelling at the other side of the door stopped. There was a brief pause. “Isabelle?” he finally asked tiredly.

“I would not disturb you at this hour if I had any other choice,” she insisted.

With a loud sigh, the door opened. “Come on in, dear,” the elderly man ushered her inside. However, he stopped her at the downstairs counter instead of letting her into the apartment in back where they usually conversed. “Now, what do you need?”

“I need the passwords for the restricted files on this,” Isabelle held the laptop out for his inspection.

“Nasty plan to bring hell to earth?” he joked wryly, turning the machine on.

“I don’t know,” Isabelle lied. “I can’t get into the files.”

“Well,” Mr. Lopez typed at the keyboard experimentally, “this doesn’t look _too_ difficult. It should be about twenty minutes, dear.”

“Thank you so much,” Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t exactly been sure this plan would work.

“So, where’s the Watcher tonight?” Lopez asked, making small talk while he worked.

“He’s sleeping,” Isabelle shrugged. “He said I could handle this by myself.”

Lopez rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “A bit stuffy and over-bearing, isn’t he?”

“Don’t I know it!” Isabelle huffed, sitting down on the countertop and swinging her legs back and forth.

“Well, we’ll show him,” Lopez gave her a small smile and inserted a disk into the computer. “Wait till he sees how easy this password was to crack.”

“You’ve got it?” Isabelle exclaimed in excitement.

“Here you go,” Lopez hit a final key, and six apparently random digits appeared on the screen.

“This is fantastic!” Isabelle said in delight. “Can I try it?”

“It’s all yours,” Lopez yawned. “I’m going to bed. Can you lock the door on your way out?”

“Of course, Mr. Lopez,” Isabelle smiled at him, “and thank you very much.”

She typed in the number as he walked up the stairs, and opened the file labeled ‘Current Watcher Diaries’. And her jaw dropped.

A list appeared before her:

        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, MADELYN CARMICHAEL. STATUS: ROGUE.  
        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, DEVORA STERVIK. STATUS: ACTIVE.  
        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, MARIA VOIGHT. STATUS: ACTIVE.  
        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, NGOZI ATUANNA. STATUS: ACTIVE.  
        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, ISABELLE NAVARRO. STATUS: ACTIVE.  
        FILE FOLDER: SLAYER, AJAYA GUPTA. STATUS: UNKNOWN.

Isabelle quickly flipped through the files of the other active Slayers. They were all working under Watchers, and they were all still alive. That meant…

“He was telling the truth,” Isabelle’s brow furrowed.

She shut off her laptop and locked the door behind her when she left the shop. She quickly arrived back at her Watcher’s apartment and let herself back in. It was just a little after four. She put the computer back where she had found it and curled up on the couch. While trying to absorb the information she had just received, she finally fell asleep.

She didn’t notice her Watcher looking at her from the hallway and frowning…

* * *

“Last stop,” Buffy said as they came to a halt before a large stone wall in the middle of the garden.

“Saving the best for last?” Ajaya asked, glancing at the list of names carved into the wall. She couldn’t imagine that anything could blow her mind more than the underground training facilities she’d just visited. Hell, just watching that were-jaguar transform and back had been worth the entire trip.

“Actually,” Buffy said unusually solemnly, “I’m saving the worst for last. This,” she gestured at the list before them, “is the list of everyone who’s died for our cause.”

Ajaya swallowed slightly. There were at least a hundred names on the list.

“I won’t lie to you,” Buffy said seriously. “This is very dangerous work. A lot of people die, and a lot of people get seriously injured. More retire than die, of course, but we don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Your predecessor, Nina, had all the back-up we could provide, and it _still_ didn’t arrive in time to save her.”

Ajaya kept her eyes fixed on the monument the entire time. “You knew these people?” she asked quietly.

“A lot of them,” Buffy agreed. “This is this list from our division, and since I’ve pretty much been around from the beginning…”

“Jennifer Calendar,” Ajaya read the first name on the list. “Who was she?”

“A techno-pagan,” Buffy answered. “She belonged to the tribe of gypsies that first figured out how to ensoul vampires. She tried to use the spell on a particularly nasty one, and he killed her for it.”

“How old was she?”

“Forty-one.”

“What about Kendra?” Ajaya continued to read down the list.

“A Slayer,” Buffy replied. “One of the Council’s. She died helping me, though. She was very brave and very strong.”

“Doyle?”

“One of Angel’s,” Buffy shrugged. “I only met him once or twice.”

“Darla?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “An evil, soulless vamp. Angel _insisted_ we put her on, since she died to save their son.”

“Joyce…Summers?!” Ajaya turned to look at Buffy.

“My mother,” she nodded. “She actually died of a brain hemorrhage, but she supported me so well…” She trailed off.

“Tara McClay?” Ajaya persisted.

Buffy’s eyes watered for a second. “Willow’s girlfriend,” she explained. “One of my enemies tried to shoot me, but he missed and Tara… She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So many…” Ajaya said thoughtfully.

“Here,” Buffy pointed about halfway down the list. “Rupert Giles. He was my Watcher. He was like a father to me, turned rogue and everything when the Council wanted to dispose of me…”

“How did he die?” Ajaya asked.

Buffy laughed slightly to herself. “Well, technically he _did_ die in the line of duty,” she smiled nostalgically. “He was eighty-six and had had failing health for some time, but he still insisted on helping with all the research. God, he was a persistent and stodgy old man! So one day, he’s researching with the others, and he falls asleep. So five minutes later, Lily taps him on the shoulder, and he doesn’t wake up.” She absentmindedly wiped a tear away from her eyes. “He died peacefully and happily, doing what he loved.”

“I wish I could have met him,” Ajaya patted her shoulder lightly. “The way you speak of him, he sounds like a good man.”

“He was,” Buffy collected herself. “They were all good people,” she gestured to the names.

Ajaya moved to the final line, which was not even halfway to the ground yet. “Nina Hodge,” she read. “The girl that came before me?”

Buffy nodded.

Ajaya moved to the next pair of names up on the list. “Xander Harris, Anya Harris,” she read. “Related?”

“Married,” Buffy agreed.

“How did they die?”

“It’s a long story,” Buffy sighed, “and I’m not the best one to tell it…”

* * *

Of course, Isabelle still got a bright and early wake-up call at five AM. She spent the requisite three hours of grueling physical training with her Watcher, and by the time he told her to rest up before the night’s slaying, she was on the verge of collapsing. Isabelle decided that there would be no more nights of sneaking out. She just couldn’t handle it, even with her Slayer abilities.

She awoke in mid-afternoon, and Mr. West sent her out on her five-mile jog. It was actually the part of the day Isabelle enjoyed most. It was pretty much the only time she ever had to herself. This also meant that is was the perfect time to carry out her final decision from the evening before.

About halfway through her trip, she came to a stop at one of the pay videophones outside the main plaza. She quickly dialed the number she had memorized and waited.

“’lo?” a sleepy voice answered at the other end. In English, of course. Isabelle wasn’t quite sure what the word meant, but she guessed it was some greeting she’d never heard. The screen was a test pattern so she couldn’t see who she was calling.

“This is Isabelle Navarro,” she said in slow, unsure English.

“Lioness!” the voice at the other end instantly switched over to Spanish. “Didn’t think you would call me so soon.”

“You were right,” Isabelle said softly, so that no one nearby could eavesdrop. “There are six.”

“See? Even old vamps know a thing or two,” the voice on the other end was insufferably smug.

“What should I do?” Isabelle asked.

“You should meet me, so we can discuss the situation,” the vampire on the other end replied.

“I should trust you?” she said incredulously.

“Some place public then,” he said thoughtfully. “How about the Fiesta Club down on ninth? You know it?”

“Yes, of course,” Isabelle said. “It is prime vampire hunting ground.”

“Then, we’ll both be on even turf,” the voice at the other end chuckled slightly. “You’ve got humans at your back; I’ve got vamps at mine.”

“It will be difficult to get away from my Watcher,” she said hesitantly.

“Are you patrolling tonight?”

She nodded, and apparently he could see her at the other end because he responded.

“Good,” he said. “You’re going to cut off your patrol half an hour into it. You’re going to go to the Fiesta Club. And you’re going to wear something appropriate.”

“I-I’ll try…” she agreed nervously.

“See you there, Lioness,” he said before the line went dead.


	6. Chapter 6

Ajaya awoke at the pleasant hour of ten to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She opened her eyes to a large room with cherry wall panels, a fireplace in the corner, and _snow?_ outside her window. It took her a second to remember where she was.

The knock repeated.

“Coming!” she called out, wrapping the green silk robe she’d been given around her shoulders. She rushed over to the door and opened it.

Outside were three mischievous-looking old women.

“Oh, sorry!” Willow said. “We didn’t know you were still asleep!”

“No problem,” Ajaya insisted, ushering them in. “I should have gotten up hours ago, anyway.” They followed her in.

“So,” Willow asked, “we just stopped by to see how you were settling in…”

“This room is spectacular,” Ajaya said enthusiastically. “I am most impressed with your facilities.”

“No problems?” Willow inquired.

“None at all,” Ajaya said. “Fletcher’s sales pitch is most convincing.”

“Yeah, he’s actually good at what he does,” the old woman Ajaya had seen tease him with Willow the day before stated. “Don’t ever tell him I said that, though,” she gave Ajaya a wink.

“And,” Willow budded in, “I wanted to give these crotchety old ladies a chance to meet you.”

Her friend gave her a slight whap, and the other stuck out her tongue at her.

“As you can see,” Willow continued to grin at them brightly, “we may age, but we never mature.”

Ajaya laughed slightly with them.

“Well, since Will doesn’t seem to be getting around to it,” Willow’s friend gave her a good-natured scowl, “my name is Aida Doogan.” She extended her hand to Ajaya, and Ajaya shook it, amazed at the power beneath it in the same way she had been when she shook Willow’s hand for the first time.

“Aida’s the headmistress of our witchcraft program,” Willow said, “as well as my lovely wife.”

“The school,” Ajaya said. “I heard about it briefly on the tour. You teach magic?”

“From apprenticeships right up to high sorcery,” Aida agreed. “We’re one of only three schools on the continent, and the best one at that.”

“You’re lucky to catch Aida during break,” the other woman said. “She’s _impossible_ to get ahold of when school’s in session.”

“I think Nina and I managed to live next door to each other for six months before we finally met,” Aida said jovially. However, her expression darkened a bit when she remembered the young woman’s fate. “It’s such a shame what happened to her…”

“She sounds like someone I would have liked to meet,” Ajaya agreed. She turned to the other woman, wanting to change the subject. “And you are?”

“Dawn Salvatore,” the woman shook her hand.

“Salvatore?” Ajaya’s brow furrowed. “I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”

“You’ve probably met some of the kids or the grandkids,” Dawn informed her.

“This place is literally _overrun_ by Salvatores,” Aida teased. “They just keep coming and coming, and they’ve _all_ got weird powers.”

“Weird powers?” Ajaya asked curiously.

Dawn gave her a wicked smile. “Get dressed,” she told her, “and I’ll show you.”

Ajaya reemerged from the dressing room only a couple minutes later. “OK,” she gave Dawn a wry grin, “let’s see this.”

“Don’t blink,” Dawn winked. And then they were overcome by a bright flash of green light.

“What did you—?” Ajaya’s questioned was answered for her when the light dimmed, and she suddenly found herself in the courtyard. “How?” she amended her statement.

“I’m a Key,” Dawn laughed at her utter bewilderment. “I can open the doors between dimensions…or just crack them open a bit and slip through to somewhere else,” she explained.

“She once closed an entire Hellmouth,” Willow provided. “It was pretty impressive.”

“Yeah, and it put me in the hospital for two weeks,” Dawn shuttered. She turned back to Ajaya. “Anyway, my husband’s half Kayeri Demon, so between the two of us we ended up with some kids with wacky powers.”

“A word of advice,” Aida told Ajaya, “never _ever_ agree to baby-sit for a Salvatore.”

“Oh god!” Dawn started giggling. “Remember that time when Spike was watching Teresa?”

Willow chuckled a bit before explaining to Ajaya. “Spike’s like this ultra-bad-ass vampire, so Dawn just dumps two-year-old Teresa in his lap one day and says he has to watch her.”

“A Salvatore during the terrible twos,” Aida shuttered. “So before Spike has time to react, Teresa’s crawling across the ceiling of the drawing room…”

“…which is about twelve feet up,” Dawn chimed in. “So he’s got to climb his way up the credenza to try to get at this kid on the ceiling…”

“…He takes off his shoes and all and climbs up the thing,” Willow broke in, “and he’s trying to grab this toddler off the ceiling…”

“…Meanwhile, Teresa’s laughing and running away from him, thinking this is such a great game,” Aida added, “so he has to chase after her. He starts hopping around across the furniture in the room…”

“…and then he lands on the end table, and the table cloth slips out from under him,” Dawn took over. “We all hear this really loud crash, and we run to see what’s happened…”

“…so we all rush in, and there’s Spike, laying on his back in the middle of the room with a potted plant fallen over on his chest and Teresa floating down to poke his nose…”

“…and no shoes on,” Dawn giggled, “which is how we find out that he’s got these _little_ pink hearts painted on his toenails…”

Willow was practically in hysterics now. “And he’s still trying to act all Big Bad…”

Dawn affected a terrible British accent. “ ‘Oh, bollocks, an’ bloody ‘ell, an’…’”

“And then he realizes we’re all laughing at his feet,” Aida giggled.

“You’ll _never_ see a vampire flee so fast in your life,” Willow finished.

“And we can never ever stop teasing him about it,” Dawn said gleefully. “Poor baby…”

Ajaya couldn’t help but laugh herself. This was one person she _had_ to meet…

* * *

Isabelle entered the club and instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Slipping out of Mr. West’s grasp hadn’t been easy, and she’d been afraid the entire time she’d been heading to the club that his car would pull up beside her, and he’d catch her shirking her duties. However, now that she was inside, she allowed the steady, pulsing rhythm of the band of stage to wash over and began to relax.

This was one of the things she missed most about being a Slayer: hanging out in a fun place with lots of people and just _being_. She sat down at the bar and ordered a lime soda. She was sipping at it lightly and watching the lead singer on stage when she felt _him_.

She glanced around the room, trying to spot the familiar presence among the throngs of people, but she couldn’t spot him. Given the way he’d vanished into the crowd before, she wasn’t exactly surprised. However, it did pose a slight problem for her.

She stood up on her tiptoes and looked over the heads of the crowd of dancers. There were times when being almost six feet tall had its definite advantages.

“Hello, Lioness…”

She held back a yelp of surprise when the voice suddenly purred right in her ear. She spun around and found herself once again captured in those brilliant blue orbs.

“Long time, no see,” she managed to say breathlessly. Her heart was pounding in her chest like a jackhammer, and she didn’t think it had much to do with being startled, either.

“Only two days, luv,” he gave her a seductive smile, and suddenly her eyes became riveted on his full lips. However, he took a step back, and she almost slumped at the loss of his nearness.

“Yeah,” Isabelle shook herself and recovered the intelligent part of her brain, “well that’s how long it took me to get a look at the Watcher diaries.”

“And?” The smug look on his face indicated that he already knew exactly what she had found.

“Six Slayers,” she agreed. “You were right.”

“I always am,” he replied flippantly.

“So…” Isabelle didn’t exactly know what to do know.

“You want to dance?” he asked abruptly.

“Huh?”

“Dance, Slayer,” he rolled his eyes. “You. Me. Music.”

“I know that!” she retorted. “But—”

“Good.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. Before she knew what had happened, he had his arms wrapped firmly around her as a slow song came up. She froze stiffly in his arms for a few seconds before allowing herself to relax and swaying with him. She found to her surprise that he actually wasn’t too bad a dancer. And the feel and smell of him…

“Easier to talk this way,” he whispered into her ear. “No one can hear us.”

It took her a little while to process his words, she was so absorbed in the feel of his body. It had been a long time since a man had touched her…

“You with me, Lioness?” he asked.

“Go ahead,” she took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Your Watcher’s lying to you,” he told her.

“I know that,” she agreed. “What I don’t know is what to do about it.”

“Do you like working for the Council?” he asked.

“Not particularly,” she shrugged, “but it’s not like I’ve got any choice.”

“You _do_ have a choice,” he insisted. “I can show you another way…”

“And what’s that?” she demanded, turning to look at him.

“SCBI,” he replied.

“You want me to join you,” she said, not surprised. “Just out of the blue, I should trust you? I don’t even know your name!”

“I’ve already been more honest with you than your current employer,” he responded. A slight smile quirked on his lips. “And it’s Spike.”

“Spike?” she repeated, raising one eyebrow. “Spike… OK, Spike, let’s suppose hypothetically that I’m with you. What happens then?”

“I take you to one of our facilities,” he answered. “You check things out, see if they’re to your liking…”

“And if they’re not?”

“Then you come back home, safe and sound.”

“Again, I should trust you?” she eyes him warily. “Just leave my Watcher behind and run off?”

“Your Watcher is the one that can’t be trusted,” he said. “And as for me…”

He leaned in close, and she was suddenly painfully aware of the fact that his lips were mere millimeters from her own. Her eyes fluttered half-closed in response, and she could almost _feel_ the unnatural chill of his lips.

“I can be trusted not to…take advantage,” he whispered, suddenly pulling back to their previous position.

Isabelle’s eyes opened wide at what she had almost allowed to happen. “I…you…!” she sputtered.

“Think about my offer, kitten,” he brushed an auburn lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be waiting for your call.” He gave her a wink and once again vanished into the crowd.

“I _hate_ it when he does that,” she said to no one in particular…

* * *

Ajaya giggled as the four of them slipped through another portal, barely avoiding capture by their pursuers.

“Fletcher is finally going to kill us for doing this!” Aida said gleefully.

“I bet he’s in his office rubbing his nose right now,” Willow agreed when the portal faded, and they found themselves in the dinning room.

“And muttering about how he can’t get any respect,” Ajaya added, feeling a bit giddy from the chase.

The sound of footsteps running toward them caused a new outbreak of laughter.

“Here we go again!” Dawn announced, and there was another flash of green light.

“Dammit!” Ajaya heard Nicolas swear right before they vanished.

“They’re never going to catch us!” Ajaya squealed in delight when they landed back in the courtyard.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” a low voice hissed from the bushes.

Ajaya spun around just in time to see the jaguar leap at her. She didn’t manage to let out more than a surprised squeak before she was tackled to the ground.

“Ha! Gotcha!” Buffy exclaimed as she rounded the bend and came upon the four runaways.

“Shame, shame…”

Ajaya turned abruptly back to the large spotted cat on her chest when it spoke. She was more than a little shocked to see that it had transformed into an exotic-looking young woman.

“Kidnapping Slayers and going on the lam?” the were-jaguar got off of her and shook her head at the three old women mock-sadly. “Really, Grandma, what kind of an example are you setting for our family?”

“At least _I’m_ not the one sneaking into closets with a certain vampire,” Dawn retorted.

“Grandma!” the were-jaguar’s face turned bright red. It was quite an interesting contrast to her olive complexion.

“Oh!” Buffy’s eyes widened. “Who?” she demanded.

“Aunt Buffy!” the feline woman looked cornered now.

“If we’re adding another vampire to the family, I want to know who it is,” she crossed her arms in front of her.

“Er…I…” she turned helplessly to Ajaya and spotted her escape. “Hi,” she said brightly, “I’m Monica Salvatore. So nice to meet you.”

“You’re not fooling me,” Ajaya said, laughing slightly. “I want to know who it is, too.”

“Well…you see…this was kind of…er, I mean I’m not _really_ …” Monica sputtered, flailing her hands about dramatically as she did so.

“Haven’t you got her _yet_?!” Fletcher’s voice suddenly screamed from the mansion.

“Got her!” Monica called back, grateful for the diversion. “Fletcher wants to have a word with you,” she said, taking hold of Ajaya’s arm and leading her back to the main building.

“Saved by the bell,” Dawn called out behind her.

Ajaya let the pack of women usher her over to a very annoyed-looking Fletcher.

“I just _know_ you two were behind this,” he cast an accusing scowl in Willow and Aida’s direction.

They gave him innocent, beatific looks in return.

“I swear, one of these days…” he muttered under his breath as they made their way to the library.

They met up with Nicolas once they’d reached the inner sections of the mansion that saved vampires from the sunlight, and together they all waited for Fletcher to speak.

“Now that that little circus has come to an end,” his suspicious gaze met the eyes of everyone in the room, “we have important matters to discuss. Ajaya, have you given any further thought to our offer?”

Ajaya bit her lip for a second. “I don’t want to work for the Watcher’s Council,” she finally said, “but I don’t really want to be the Slayer, either.”

“Not unusual,” Buffy encouraged her to continue.

“No matter what, I’m going back to school,” Ajaya insisted, “but my school is so far away…”

“We can hook you up with the Tokyo division,” Buffy shrugged. “You’re within an hour’s flight of there.” She chuckled slightly to herself. “Angel runs that branch. You’d have fun with him. His hair contorts in amazing ways and the only thing he ever does is brood. ‘Oh alas, for I am Angel. Woe is the souled vampire! Everyone look upon me and get really, really depressed!’ “

Ajaya raised an eyebrow.

“My ex,” Buffy clarified.

“Ah!” Ajaya said in sudden understanding.

“Plus, he’s absolutely _impossible_ not to mock,” Dawn added. “You should see Cordy go at him. The funniest thing on the planet…”

“Yes, well,” Fletcher cast them both an irritated look, “the just of this all is that you could still be a Slayer and continue at your college.”

“Maybe…” Ajaya said reluctantly.

“Why don’t you just check it out first?” Buffy suggested. “See what it’s like before you decide.”

Ajaya looked at Fletcher, and he raised an eyebrow in her direction.

“OK,” Ajaya agreed with a small smile. “I’ll give it a shot…”


	7. Chapter 7

Isabelle returned to her Watcher’s apartment a full hour and a half earlier than usual. She realized that this would probably just draw suspicion to herself, but she couldn’t help it. She was tired of wandering and had _way_ too much on her mind at the moment to be at all effective in her slaying.

And unfortunately most of those thoughts centered on beautiful blue eyes and a gorgeous vampire body. Isabelle decided that it had been way too long since she’d been with a guy, if the nearest vamp was starting to look good…even if he _was_ – literally – to die for…

However, she was surprised when she entered the apartment. She had expected Mr. West to pounce on her the minute she opened the door, demanding to know how she’d spent every second of her evening. He wasn’t there, though. She guessed she’d taken him by surprise.

She quickly grabbed an apple from the kitchen table and walked down the hallway to his room to let him know she was back. In her mind, she was already running over the false slaying stories she’d concocted.

The voice that echoed through the slight opening of his door gave her pause, though.

“Are you confident she needs to be terminated?” an unfamiliar British voice said from the videoscreen.

“She is too independent,” West’s voice answered. “She’s had some contact with an unknown vampire – _personal_ contact, not during slaying. And she went through my files the other night. She lied to our tech source and said it was for work.”

“Do you think she’s working for _them_?” the other voice demanded.

“She could be a spy,” West sighed. “I don’t know how long they’ve had her, though. This could have been going on for months. Who knows what sort of information she’s been collecting?”

“ _Months_?!” the other man was outraged. “Haven’t you been watching her? That is in your job description, you know.”

“I know,” West defended himself, “but she’s always had this tendency to run off and do her own thing. Even when she was just a trainee. I _tried_ to put an end to it…”

“She’s too much of a risk,” the voice at the other end agreed. “I thought you were going to end this the other day.”

“I tried,” West insisted. “She wasn’t supposed to make it out of that vamp nest alive. There were too many for her.”

“Then what went wrong?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she has more talent than I at first realized,” West replied.

“Then you’ll just have to send her on another suicide mission,” the other voice said with finality. “And _this_ time, make sure she doesn’t survive.”

“Of course,” West agreed. “Another must be Called. I see that.”

“Good. I think this conversation is done then.”

“I’ll give you the report tomorrow night,” West assured him.

“And, West? Don’t fail us again.”

West shut off the viewscreen. And then his ears perked up. He would have sworn he’d just heard something…

He flung the door to his room open wide.

Nothing there.

He grabbed hold of the crossbow on his desk before venturing further out into the apartment. Everything was quiet, and it was over an hour before Isabelle was due to return. His eyes scanned the room, taking in every little detail.

And alighted on one spot.

His laptop containing all of his Watcher’s files was gone. And it had been there five minutes ago.

He raced over to the window just in time to see the auburn Slayer run out the door to the building, computer tucked neatly under her arm.

With no other choice, he fired one bolt of the crossbow at her, but some sixth sense warned her time, and she ducked to the side before rounding a corner and vanishing into the night.

Isabelle Navarro was gone…

* * *

“You Ajaya?” the young, black-haired man asked gruffly.

“Yes,” she agreed nervously, glancing around the training room.

“Good,” he cast a look in her direction, shook his head, and turned back to his clipboard. “You can start by running. Give me twenty laps.”

“Twenty?!” Ajaya exclaimed in disbelief.

“That too much for the new Slayer, is it?” he shook his head again. “You’re predecessor could do it without breaking a sweat.”

“This _is_ my first day,” Ajaya pointed out.

“Look,” he gave an exasperated sigh, “you want on my team, you go through the same basic training as anyone else, got it?”

“O-Of course,” Ajaya stuttered, looking at her shoes.

“So, run!” he ordered. “Pace yourself with Monica if you need to,” he pointed to the passing were-jaguar.

Ajaya took off, catching the dark-haired woman’s side quickly.

“Hey,” Monica pulled off her headphones and turned to Ajaya. “What’s up?”

“I’m supposed to pace myself with you,” Ajaya explained.

“Cool,” Monica slowed a bit so that they could speak comfortably. “How many laps?”

“Twenty.”

“ _Twenty_?!” Monica said in disbelief. “On your first day?”

“That’s what that man over there said,” Ajaya gestured with one hand and nearly tripped herself up.

“Take it easy,” Monica said. “Don’t mind Alex,” she told her companion. “We’ll show _him_ what you can do…”

And with that, Monica returned to her previous pace. Ajaya stayed on her heels the best she could. She was panted heavily by the time they’d reached the ten-lap mark, but still she was astonished with herself. She’d never been much of an athlete before. In fact, it was pretty safe to say she sucked. She had always been the last one picked for sports teams and the first to get caught at tag. Yet now she was easily able to follow the slender woman in front of her, and her limbs moved with a grace that seemed utterly alien to her.

“Nineteen,” Monica called over the shoulder when they passed the black-haired man again.

Ajaya was grateful for the assistance. Despite her newfound powers, she was extremely weary, and by this time it was an effort just to put one foot in front of the other.

“We’re almost done,” Monica cheered her on. “You can do this.”

Ajaya heard the words in an almost dazed state. Yet still her body endured more than it had ever been able to before.

“And twenty!” Monica announced, and they slowed to a halt. “You all right?” she asked Ajaya.

Ajaya barely managed to nod weakly, and she bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

“Keep your hands above your head,” Monica advised. “You’ll catch your breath more quickly that way.”

Ajaya struggled to comply and quickly discovered that the were-jaguar hadn’t led her astray.

“Hey, Alex,” Monica took a quick sip out of her water bottle as the man approached.

“Not bad, for a start,” Alex looked at Ajaya skeptically. “You too beat to keep this up, Slayer?” he demanded.

“Jeez, Alex,” Monica cut in, handing Ajaya the water. “Small sips,” she informed her, before turning back to Alex. “Cut her a break, why don’t you?”

“Cut her a break?” he repeated angrily. “Why? So she’s unprepared and gets herself killed?”

“Overreact much?” Monica countered.

Alex turned for her narrowed cat’s eyes to where Ajaya’s face was still bright red from her exertions. “Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. “There’s no point in bothering anyway, is there? I mean she’s the Slayer. She’ll get herself killed no matter _what_ I do!” With that, he stomped off in a huff, slamming the gym door shut behind him.

“Meow!” Monica shook her head in annoyance. “And coming from someone who’s half cat, that means something.” She gave Ajaya a friendly smile. “Don’t mind him,” she reassured her. “He’s just…” she trailed off and looked back at the shut door sadly.

“A bastard?” Ajaya suggested before slapping her hand over her mouth.

Monica laughed. “I knew you had a sense of humor in you…” She sighed. “Alex’s had a rough time lately. Nina – the Slayer you replaced – she was Alex’s fiancée. They were supposed to get married in two weeks.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ajaya said softly, her mood instantly sobering.

“Yeah,” Monica agreed, “and he just lost his parents a few months back, too…”

“That married couple?” Ajaya remembered her trip to the wall two days earlier. “One of them had an X in their name, I think…”

“Xander and Anya Harris,” Monica agreed, sitting on the bench beside Ajaya. “It was actually kinda touching the way they went,” she smiled to herself. “Alex didn’t see it that way, though. All he saw was the bad.”

“What did happen?” Ajaya asked cautiously. “If you feel comfortable telling me, that is,” she hastily amended.

“No one’s told you?” Monica asked in surprise. Ajaya shook her head. “I guess I can see why not,” Monica said thoughtfully. “I suppose everyone thinks it’s someone else’s story to tell.”

“That’s pretty much the answer I’ve been getting,” Ajaya took another sip out of the water bottle and handed it back to Monica.

“Well, no more,” Monica crossed her legs beneath her into lotus position with a casual flexibility that made Ajaya horribly jealous. She took a second to gather her thoughts and began. “Anya – Anyanka – had been a vengeance demon for about a thousand years when she met Xander. He was that rarity of all rarities, a regular human that works as a demon hunter. Anyway, long story short: Anya had a brief spell of humanity, and they fell in love. Once Anya goes back to being a demon, they somehow manage to keep it together.

“They have one of those perfect marriages: hopelessly in love with each other, nice kids who actually _like_ their parents, everything’s perfect.

“Except for the fact that Xander’s aging because he’s just a human, and Anya’s a vengeance demon and will stay young forever. They want to be able to grow old together. Anya artificially ages her appearance to go along with his for a while, but it’s fake and they know it. Sooner or later Xander’s going to die, and then Anya will be left alone.

“So, they get the local Wiccas to do a spell for them. They want to find a way to fix this problem. They want to be together forever.”

“Couldn’t Anya just die with him?” Ajaya asked. “If she really wanted to, couldn’t she just…” she trailed off nervously.

“Kill herself?” Monica finished for her. “They thought of that. But Xander didn’t want Anya to kill herself because of him. And even if she had, then Xander would end up in a soul dimension and Anya would end up in a demon dimension.”

“And that’s no good,” Ajaya nodded. “So what did they do?”

“Well, Willow and Aida were at it for a long time,” Monica continued, taking another sip out of her water bottle. “And eventually they came up with a sort of compromise.”

“Compromise?” Ajaya asked curiously.

Monica nodded. “The problem was that one was demon and the other human, so what our coven did was take a little bit of Anya’s demon spirit and put it in Xander, and took a little bit of Xander’s humanity and put it in Anya.”

“And that worked?” Ajaya’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“It linked them together,” Monica said. “So, when Xander finally died, the part of him that was in Anya died as well. We found her dead in her sleep less than a week after.”

“So they did die together then,” Ajaya said. “But don’t they still have the same problem?”

“That was the beauty of the plan,” Monica said with a soft smile. “Xander couldn’t enter a dimension of souls because he had a bit of demon in him, and Anya couldn’t enter a dimension of demons because she had a bit of soul in her.”

“So what happened to them, then? Where are they?”

“In a dimension like this one,” Monica gestured around her. “Somewhere where humans and demons can mingle. And because of the link between them, they will always be incarnated close to each other, and they will always be drawn back together.”

“Their love will be reincarnated over and over again…” Ajaya realized.

“The downside is that Xander will never be able to get into heaven,” Monica said, “but he didn’t want to go anyway. Not if Anya couldn’t be there with him.”

“So that means that they’re out there somewhere right now, starting all over again,” Ajaya sighed. “It’s a very romantic story.”

“Alex didn’t think so,” Monica said soberly. “He has always been very…set in his ways. And all he could see was the harm that was done to his parents. His father was banned from heaven, and his mother died for no reason.”

“Surely, they discussed it with him?” Ajaya said.

“Oh, they did,” Monica agreed, “but what worked for Alex in theory, didn’t quite work in practice. He got a bit moody after his parents’ deaths. Luckily, he had Nina here for him. It seemed like he was finally getting past his own loss and seeing his parents’ gain, and then…” She trailed off suddenly.

“Nina’s death?” Ajaya said softly.

“He hasn’t been the same since,” Monica sighed. “His fury at his parents’ deaths has returned full force, and he’s not too fond of Slayers anymore, either.”

“I’d noticed,” Ajaya grimaced.

“We’re all really worried about him,” Monica picked at a loose string on the bench nervously. “He’s buried himself in his work, he trains way too hard… I don’t know how much longer he can live like this.”

“I’m sorry,” Ajaya murmured. “I didn’t know…”

“It’s not your fault,” Monica visibly perked herself up. “And it’s not your problem. All you need to worry about is your training. Feel up for some more?”

“Well, I can breathe again now,” Ajaya smiled at her wryly.

“Good,” Monica returned the smile. “Now, let’s see how you do with some sparring…”

* * *

Isabelle clutched the blue raincoat around her tighter as the heavens seemed to pour down with just as much anguish as she herself felt. The downpour had begun less than half an hour after she’d fled West’s apartment.

She’d managed to stay in shops for a while – where she’d been fortunate enough to find a souvenir shop that sold raincoats – but they had all closed hours ago, and she’d quickly realized she had no place to spend the night…

It was funny that she’d needed that excuse to make the call.

Obviously, she had been planning to all along since she’d grabbed West’s computer and all. But still, something seemed wrong about turning her back on the Watcher’s Council.

Despite everything, they were still the ones that had raised her, that had made her what she was. She had been bitter about it most of the time, of course, but Mr. West had been her life for almost six years. And even the imminent peril she was in seemed unreal to her still.

She nervously glanced around once again just to make sure. She still couldn’t believe that West had shot at her. And the scariest part was that she had no idea what they were up to now. West had an organization of thousands behind him. For all she knew, they were out searching for her right now…

She turned away abruptly when the man waiting at the bus stop across the street stared at her just a bit too long. She tightened her hood around her head. Surely he hadn’t recognized her?

When she looked back again, he was gone. Where had he gone? The bus hadn’t come; she would have heard it. Had he worked for the Council? Was he letting them know of her whereabouts right now?

Her worst fears were realized when a black car abruptly screeched to a stop in front of her. Before the passenger door had even been flung open, she was tearing off down the street.

“Lioness, wait!” a voice called out behind her.

She came to an abrupt halt and watched as the car pulled up alongside her again.

“You coming,” Spike demanded from the driver’s seat, “or are you going to make me chase you up and down the street all night? Because I _have_ got better things to do, you know…”

“Sorry,” Isabelle cast a furtive glance around the empty street before sliding into the car, “I-I thought you were…the Council,” she gulped slightly, wrapping her arms around herself tightly.

“No chance, ducks,” he said, pulling up from the curb and driving out into the night. “Why? Did something happen?”

“M-My Watcher,” Isabelle was stuttering now from a combination of panic and cold. “H-He…he tried… He was going to…”

“Hey, calm down there, luv,” Spike gave her a friendly smile. She hadn’t been aware up until that point that vampires _had_ friendly smiles. “Just take a deep breath and tell me what your Watcher did.”

“I got home early,” she took his advice and took a deep breath. “He was on the phone.” Breath. “He was talking to the Watcher’s Council.” Breath, slight gulp. “Th-They said…”

“Calm,” he reminded her softly.

“They said I had to be t-t-t…” Isabelle couldn’t say the word.

“They were going to get rid of you?” Spike suggested. “Get another Slayer Called in your place?”

Isabelle nodded mutely.

“Wankers,” Spike muttered under his breath.

Isabelle wasn’t quite sure what the word meant, but she had a feeling it wasn’t favorable to the Watchers’ Council.

“He shot at me when I ran,” she finally managed to say.

“Did he hit you?” Instant concern. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” Isabelle nodded numbly. “He missed.”

“Want me to rip his throat out?”

Isabelle turned to look at him in shock, and then smiled a bit when she saw the teasing grin on his face. “Uh…no, that would be bad,” she giggled slightly at his mock-forlorn expression.

“Now, that’s more what I like to hear,” he gave her a quick wink before pulling up outside of a motel.

He quickly ushered her inside, and before she knew it, she was in a deluxe suite.

“Let me get that for you, Lioness,” he took her raincoat for her and tsked slightly when he noticed she was drenched underneath. “I’ll get you a towel. You just have a seat and relax.”

Isabelle stiffly walked over to the couch and sat down, exhaustion finally beginning to overcome the adrenaline that had been pumping through her system all night.

“Here you go,” he wrapped a large, white towel around her shoulders and gave her another one for her hair.

She gratefully wiped herself as dry as possible while wearing damp clothes.

“You want to change?” he asked. “Take a shower or a bath or something?”

“I don’t have any clothes to change into,” she gestured to the laptop she carried, demonstrating that she had nothing else with her.

“I’m sure we can find something for you,” his eyebrow raised speculatively at the computer, but he didn’t ask. “I’ll go find something.”

She sighed in relief and curled back onto the sofa, kicking off her shoes and socks so her toes could felt the soft plush.

“And here we are,” he handed her an oversized T-shirt and a pair of baggy sweats. “Sorry, but I didn’t have any knickers for you.”

“This is good,” Isabelle nodded, taking them numbly from him.

When she didn’t do anything, he realized that she was probably still a bit too shocked. “Here,” he sighed. “I’ll give you a hand.”

Isabelle knew she should protest, but she was feeling too drained to do anything of the sort. However, his help turned out to be as inoffensive as was physically possible in such circumstances. He covered her well with towel before he slipped of her wet blouse and replaced it with the dry shirt, and likewise with her skirt and the sweats.

And he hadn’t tried to peek or given her a suggestive leer once. In fact, that charm he’d been exhibiting earlier that evening seemed to be completely shut off at the moment. It was a fact for which Isabelle was eternally grateful. She didn’t think she could handle a seductive vampire in her current condition.

“You look real tired, kitten,” he brushed a lock of auburn hair back from her cheek. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

Isabelle was drifting off already and didn’t even have the energy to nod. She was dimly aware of being lifted up by strong arms and carried over to the bed. And in her sleep-addled mind, those arms reminded her so much of the father she hadn’t seen since she was a child…

With a contented smile, Isabelle fell into a deep, dark sleep…


	8. Chapter 8

Ajaya groaned as every muscle in her body protested to the stretches Monica had given her to do. Her sparring session yesterday had zapped every ounce of strength from her, but it had kind of been fun. The redheaded vampire she’d been paired with – Julia – had been pretty damn close to her equal. She had worried about that for a bit until Monica reassured her that Julia was tougher than 90% of the vamps she would meet in the field.

However, it had left her pretty drained, and today there was yet more training.

Ajaya really didn’t mind all that much, though. All her life she’d been good with her brain and bad with her body. And now suddenly that had all changed. She’d never really experienced the thrill and excitement of intense physical activity before, and she was surprised to discover that she was really enjoying it. No matter what else, this experience had taught her that.

“’Mornin’, Buffy,” Ajaya yawned when she entered the training room and discovered the vampiress there.

“’Morning,” Buffy said cheerfully enough. “So,” she nudged Ajaya lightly in the ribs, “I heard you kicked ass yesterday.”

Ajaya’s face reddened slightly. “Er…not really,” she said shyly, “I just…”

“Went 4 and 5 with Julia!” Buffy said enthusiastically. “You know what that means?”

“What?” Ajaya asked anxiously.

“Well, first,” Buffy gave her a smile and a wink, “it means you get to take a bit of a break today since you worked so hard yesterday…”

Ajaya smiled as well at this one.

“…And,” the vampiress went on, “it means that you’re officially qualified for field work.”

Ajaya turned to look at her in surprise. “So soon?” she said with disbelief and not a little bit of panic. “But I thought it took…” She trailed off in concern.

“Usually it does,” Buffy agreed, “but you’ve shown extraordinary skill so far. Julia’s a level 4 fighter, yet you matched her blow for blow.”

Ajaya frowned slightly. “I’m not sure…”

“Don’t worry,” Buffy gave her a slight smile. “You’ll be grossly over-supervised nonstop for your first few months…if your squad gets called into action, which is unlikely given that they’ve just lost a member.”

“Really?” Ajaya sighed with relief.

“Sure,” Buffy shrugged. “Now let’s go have some fun…”

‘Fun’ consisted of watching _other_ members of Ajaya’s team fight, although Ajaya really couldn’t deny that it _was_ kind of fun to watch. Just seeing everybody with their powers in action was exciting enough for her.

“This one’ll be good,” Buffy nudged her when Monica and that large midnight blue demon she’d seen a few days back stepped into the ring.

Much to Ajaya’s surprise, the demon gave Monica a deep and courteous bow before their bout began. She bowed back politely, but there was no courtesy whatsoever once the match began. The demon was twice the were-jaguar’s size and had taken to shooting fireballs out of his mouth, but nevertheless the sleek young woman evaded his every attack, twisting to the side just in time with feline grace.

“How does she do that?” Ajaya watched the young woman flip and leap her way around her attacker, striking with razor-sharp claws wherever she had the chance.

“She’s a damn good fighter is how,” Buffy said, obviously impressed herself with her grandniece’s skill, “and she’s got incredible control over her powers.”

They watched as the hits and blows tallied up on the score board, neither opponent outdistancing the other for long.

“Care to place any bets?” Buffy asked once it was tied up 9-9.

“No clue who’s going to win,” Ajaya shook her head.

“I’m saying Monica,” Buffy decided, “but he’s damn good for a new recruit…”

Her prediction proved correct when Monica slipped through a wall of flames to land her claws right in the center of his chest-plate.

They separated to a round of applause and bowed once again before leaving the ring.

“Tough bout,” Monica walked over to them, pouring her water bottle over her face as she did so.

“But _very_ well fought,” Buffy said.

“Yeah, great job,” Ajaya added.

Monica gave them a small, embarrassed smile. “We’ve trained together a lot,” she shrugged.

“Who’s ne—” Ajaya got out before:

“ALL PERSONNEL. REPORT TO THE WAR ROOM IMMEDIATELY,” a computerized voice suddenly announced over the loudspeakers.

“Oh, crap!” Monica swore under her breath.

“What does that mean?” Ajaya asked.

“Don’t know,” Buffy shook her head. “Something big. We better go.”

“Go?” Ajaya said nervously.

“It’ll just be a big meeting with a bunch of people that look kinda funny,” Buffy assured her. “You don’t have to do anything. Well…except try not to fall asleep.”

“And with Fletcher, that’s always a challenge,” Monica laughed.

* * *

Isabelle’s eyes fluttered open when the sunlight filtered through the dark curtains and landed on her face. She sighed contentedly, stretching out on the soft mattress, and finally opened her eyes.

It took her a second to remember what had happened the night before. As soon as it did, that strange, unpleasant twisting sensation returned to her stomach. Her Watcher, teacher, mentor, surrogate father of six years had tried to kill her last night.

Tears threatened to escape her eyes for the first time since she’d run away, but she fought them back. She had to be strong now, had to keep it together… And the first step there was getting cleaned up.

She quickly discovered a pile of new clothes on the dresser all in her size, including – how had he put it? Ah, yes… – _knickers_. She discarded the clothes he had leant her the night before and grabbed the pale blue robe he had left her before venturing into the bathroom.

One look at her reflection told her she needed a shower even more than she felt like she did. Her hair was mussed and dried oddly from the rain the night before, and it hung in loose strings around her face.

She promptly hopped in the shower and turned the hot water on full blast. It was only after she’d completely cleaned herself that she finally let the events of the previous night wash over her, and she cried and cried and cried…

By the time she got out – at least half an hour later, she was sure – she was feeling significantly better. She dressed quickly and made her way into the central room of the suite. The curtains were all drawn – _duh, vampire!_ Her mind provided – and they cast deep, mahogany shadows throughout the room.

However, the effect was most incredible upon the man sleeping on the couch. His skin was pale enough that the light gave him an unusual copper tinge. Shadows lingered in the deep recesses beneath his cheekbones…and along the curved musculature of his bared chest.

Isabelle couldn’t suppress a slight gasp of feminine delight at the sight of him. He was undeniably magnificent. _And such a gentleman last night, too_ , she added mentally. She walked slowly over to him, deciding that she _definitely_ wouldn’t mind going a round with this one. What was that old rumor about vampires with big fangs? Because she’d seen his fangs, and they were pretty impressive…

“Hey,” she tapped him lightly on the shoulder, feeling his cool, smooth skin.

He let out a small cry and instantly leapt up, a small taser miraculously appearing in his hand and aimed right at her.

“Sorry!” Isabelle gulped quickly, holding her hands up in surrender.

Spike let out a sigh of relief and dropped the taser. “Jeez, Lioness,” he chuckled slightly, running one hand through his mussed hair, “didn’t anyone ever tell you to let sleeping vampires lie?”

“Sorry,” she repeated, sighing in relief herself.

“Well, then,” he cast an appraising eye over her, “how are you holding up this morning?”

“OK, I guess,” she smiled weakly.

“That OK as in ‘not very well’?” he inquired with a slight smile.

“Pretty much,” she sighed, plopping herself down in the armchair across from him. “I still just can’t _believe_ he would… I mean, how dare he!” She slammed her fist into the coffee table, and it split in two. “Oops!” she said nervously.

He was laughing silently again. “Don’t worry about it, kitten. We’re used to paying for Slayer-related acts of destruction.”

“You sure?” Isabelle looked at the splintered table beneath her anxiously. “I really am sorry…”

He shrugged. “None of the pointy wood is in me, so no harm done,” he teased lightly.

“Not yet,” she joked right back.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she suddenly got the impression that something was off about him. It took her a second or two to place it.

“That scar,” she pointed. “When did you get that scar?”

“About a hundred and fifty years ago,” he shrugged, pulling his shirt over his head.

“But you didn’t have it earlier,” she insisted.

He dug into one of his pockets and handed her an item from it. “First rule of undercover work, Lioness. Conceal all your distinguishing features.”

She turned the eyebrow pencil over in her hand before returning it to him. “My Watcher asked about it, you know. Whether you had a scar,” she clarified.

“And you told him no because you didn’t see a scar,” Spike replied, stretching and getting up, “so now he has no idea who I am.”

“That’s a good thing,” Isabelle agreed, wrapping her arms around herself tightly and shivering despite the morning warmth.

“Look, kitten,” his brow furrowed slightly, “would you freak if I told you we should probably leave this town before the Watchers find out where you are?”

“No,” Isabelle shook her head. “I would say it’s a good idea.”

“Good,” Spike nodded, smiling wryly again now, “because we should probably leave this town before the Watchers find out where you are…”

* * *

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Fletcher Price began, his voice stern, “we have a situation. As many of you know, this morning one of our transports was moving several of the Velik Demons we liberated last month. We received word just ten minutes ago that the transport has been attacked.”

Murmurs of concern spread throughout the odd assemblage, and the expressions on Buffy and Monica’s faces hardened. Ajaya didn’t know exactly what this was about, but it seemed to be pretty serious.

“The good news is,” Fletcher’s voice was commanding for once, and Ajaya could see why everyone followed him, teasing aside, “that there were no casualties in the initial attack. All our people managed to hole themselves up in an abandoned warehouse outside Boston and transmitted their distress call.

“The problem is that we abruptly lost contact soon after we received the call. We have reason to believe that they are still in danger, and that whoever is attacking them is blocking all communications.”

“We tried to call them home with a spell,” Willow added, her expression grave, “but a magical force prevented us.”

“It’s the Watchers then,” Nicolas commented from his position leaning against the wall.

“We don’t know that,” Fletcher quickly clarified. “As far as we know, it could be a group of renegade T’Liff that escaped our recent raids.”

“And we all know how frequently the T’Liff use magic,” Alex rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Fletcher shot him a look, and he immediately was quiet again. “We can’t jump to any conclusions,” Fletcher continued calmly, “but we’re sending an entire squad out just in case.”

“Let Beta Squad take it,” Alex stepped forward immediately.

Fletcher removed his glasses and rubbed the pressure points on the sides of his nose at this. “Alex,” he began calmly, “you’re still recovering from the loss of a teammate, as well as being understaffed—”

“We’re the least injured squad available,” Alex insisted.

“They are my people,” the large, midnight blue demon supported his team leader. “I would like to help them.”

“Look, Alex…” Fletcher sighed.

“We’ve got a new trainee who’s only been with us for a few days,” Monica stepped in, indicating Ajaya. “You can’t just throw her to the Watchers’ Council on her first official mission.”

“We’ll get a replacement for her,” Alex insisted. “There are several from Zeta Squad, who—”

“We need Zeta Squad on stand-by in case we get a call from Damien about the vamp problem in Columbus,” Fletcher pointed out.

“Why not let the Boston vamps handle it?” a woman Ajaya didn’t recognize commented.

“Too long until daylight,” Fletcher replied. “For all we know, the situation could be urgent.”

With that the discussion began in full earnest.

“Is this normal?” Ajaya whispered to Buffy, who seemed to have less at stake in the argument than Monica.

“No,” Buffy shook her head. “It’s just a very sensitive issue at the moment. You’ve seen how dangerous the Watchers can be.”

Ajaya watched as Alex got in a rather loud argument with the head of Delta Squad about which one of them was better equipped to handle the situation.

“Would it help if I was willing to go?” she nervously asked Buffy.

“You’re not willing to go,” Buffy gave her a grateful smile. “It’s OK. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really,” Ajaya insisted, “I am.”

“Ajaya,” Buffy’s whisper was a hiss, “do you know what you’re saying? You saw the Watchers. They’re serious trouble.”

“Yeah, and I’d like to see _them_ being to ones running away this time,” Ajaya retorted, surprised by her own statements. There was something odd inside her at the moment, something that wanted to get out and fight…

Buffy looked into her eyes for a second and then nodded. “Monica!” she whispered to the were-jaguar. “Ajaya’s willing to go.”

Monica gave them both a skeptical look but got two enthusiastic nods in response. She shrugged. “We don’t need to borrow from Zeta,” she announced. “Ajaya’s game.”

Surprisingly, the only person who protested was Alex. “Absolutely not!” he exclaimed. “I am _not_ going out with some half-trained Slayer who’s going to get herself killed!”

“She’s not going to get killed,” Monica retorted. “She’s passed clearance. She’s good to go any day now; might as well make it sooner as later.”

“She’s got a point, Alex,” Fletcher said thoughtfully.

“No,” Alex insisted, “there’s no one free to supervise her. Rules are rules.”

“I’ll do it,” Buffy promptly volunteered, speaking for the first time during the meeting.

That got a round of silence for a short while, then:

“You’re on assignment,” Alex protested.

“And here,” Buffy gestured to Ajaya, “look at my assignment.”

“It _would_ make us more than able to handle the Watchers…” Alex said thoughtfully.

“Great,” Fletcher sighed in relief, “it’s all settled then…”

* * *

“So what does SCBI stand for anyway?” Isabelle asked, practicing her English on him now that she was stuck in the English-speaking world.

“SCB Investigations,” Spike muttered under his breath.

“What does SCB stand for then?” she persisted, turning from the trees that were whizzing by on the side of the road to look at him.

He let out a deep sigh. “Doesn’t stand for anything,” he cringed slightly. “’S the consonants in the word Scooby.”

“Scooby?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“As in Scooby Doo, Scooby Gang, Scoobies…” he trailed off.

“Wasn’t that some weird old movie with a talking dog?” Isabelle asked in disbelief.

“That’s the one,” Spike sighed again. “The name has this history,” he informed her, “but the Watcher didn’t think it sounded dignified enough, so we use the acronym. ‘Bout the only thing ‘ve ever agreed with ‘im on, too.” He screeched to a halt in front of a massive iron gate.

Isabelle watched curiously as security sensors rose from the ground on either side of their vehicle.

“SCAN COMPLETE,” a computerized voice announced. “WILLIAM THAT-BASTARD-WHO-WON’T-TELL-ME-HIS-LAST-NAME APPROVED. IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL PASSENGER.”

“Did it just swear at you?” Isabelle asked, not quite sure she’d understood correctly.

“Yeah,” Spike muttered under his breath, “remind me to kill Red later… Tell it your name, ducks,” he informed her.

 “Isabelle Navarro,” she said firmly and clearly.

“Slayer and new recruit,” Spike added.

“ACCESS GRANTED.”

The gates swung open just as a small aircraft zoomed by overhead.

“What was _that_?” Isabelle demanded, craning her neck to look around.

“Not sure,” Spike’s brow furrowed, “but it looks like somethin’ important happened…”

* * *

Ajaya sat strapped into the aircraft with her team, travelling at supersonic speed. And it suddenly occurred to her that she had absolutely no idea what to expect…


	9. Chapter 9

Ajaya took several deep breaths as the craft lowered itself onto the street below. Nervousness and excitement were pulsing through her veins, creating a bizarre but not unpleasant sensation. It felt almost natural in a way, like this was something she had been missing all her life…

“Remember your instructions?” Buffy demanded as the doors opened.

“Stick by you. If anything attacks us, I stay behind you and watch your back,” Ajaya repeated.

Buffy gave her a pleased smile. “You’ll do great,” she assured her.

Ajaya unstrapped herself and followed Buffy out the open hatch. There the rest of the team had already assembled in what looked to be a rundown warehouse district.

“Everyone ready?” Alex asked, getting nods from everybody in turn. “Xeris, lead the way,” he ordered the large Velik Demon.

Xeris closed his eyes, and the goat’s ears under his ram’s horns twitched for a minute before he began walking. His five teammates and Buffy followed close behind.

“It’s quiet,” Monica commented.

“Too quiet,” Nicolas agreed, his had clasping Buffy’s a bit tighter. “I don’t like this…”

“Lily, can you sense anything?” Alex asked, eyes flitting around the seemingly abandoned streets around them.

“There’s a strong magical force up ahead,” the young, brunette Witch nodded. “I think that might be the barrier my moms couldn’t get through.”

Xeris came to an abrupt halt, and a shimmer of orange energy appeared before him. “Your barrier?” he asked. At Lily’s nod, he sighed. “We have a problem, then. My people are in that warehouse right there.” He pointed to the direct center of the energy field they had just seen.

“We need to get in somehow,” Monica commented, feeling the magic tingling beneath her fingers. “Lily?”

The Witch nodded. “I think I can do it,” she said. “It shouldn’t be too hard to open a small gap from this range. I’ll tell my moms what’s going on, and maybe they can come up with something to pull it down permanently.”

“Do it,” Alex agreed.

Lily shut her eyes for a minute, transmitting her message, before they re-opened with green fire at their core. “ _Foramen laxa_!” she cried, mystical green energy escaping from her fingertips at her command.

The two energies fought for a short time, orange warring with green, until finally the orange pulled back, leaving a small hole in the barrier.

“Everyone in!” Alex ordered.

They went through the opening in single file, all but Buffy and Ajaya having to duck due to the small size of the aperture. Lily finally followed the rest of the group through, and the small portal closed behind her.

“You can get us out, right?” Nicolas raised an eyebrow at her.

Lily nodded. “It’s a bit draining, but I’ve still got reserves.”

“Still no sign of attack,” Buffy commented, extending her combined vampire and Slayer senses. “Something’s fishy here…”

“Yeah, well,” Alex shrugged, “there’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s just find our people and get out of here.”

He took point, and the rest of the group followed him to the warehouse doors. They opened easily, causing Monica, Buffy, and Nicolas to all exchange suspicious looks, and the group went inside.

Monica shut the door firmly behind them, and they all looked around at the empty room.

“ ‘Curiouser and curiouser’,” Xeris quoted.

“Which way?” Alex demanded.

“That was the ‘curiouser’ part I was referring to,” Xeris said, puzzled. “I can’t seem to sense where they are…”

“Buffy? Nicolas?” Alex turned to the two vamps.

“Nothing,” Nicolas shrugged. Buffy nodded her agreement.

“Ajaya?” Alex cast a critical eye in her direction.

“No,” she squeaked nervously.

“Not surprising,” he muttered under his breath. “Lily, is there some kind of spell on this place?” he said aloud.

“I’m not quite sure,” Lily had the same confused look on her face that Xeris did. “Everything feels…distorted. There might be some kind of illusion spell,” she shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s interfering with my senses as well.”

“Then I guess we do this the hard way,” Alex said. “Nicolas, you’re with me. Monica, Xeris, you two take that hallway,” he gestured in one direction. “Tara, Buffy, and Ajaya, that way. Let’s get this over with before something happens.”

The groups split up quietly, each heading in their own direction.

“Be careful,” Nicolas gave Buffy’s hand a final squeeze before letting go.

“You too.” Buffy planted a quick kiss on his cheek before leading Lily and Ajaya down the darkened passage.

“Isn’t this kind of dark for daytime?” Ajaya asked nervously.

“More spells?” Buffy asked.

“There’s some powerful magic here,” Lily agreed.

“Watchers?” Buffy demanded.

“I can’t think of anyone else with this kind of power,” the brunette Witch nodded. “But as for the lack of light… _Lux_!” A glowing white orb appeared in her right hand, illuminating the sterile corridor. “Better than a flashlight,” she winked at Ajaya.

“Lily! Ajaya!” Buffy called them over to the end of the hallway.

“What did _this_?” Ajaya asked in horror at the huge, gaping claw marks that marred the door before them.

“I don’t know—” Lily began and then screamed in agony.

The ball of light in her hands vanished, and Ajaya was plunged into darkness…

* * *

“’Ello?” Spike flung the front door wide open and paused in the entranceway.

“Nobody home?” Isabelle asked, taking in the fine mahogany woodwork and the massive staircase before her.

“They’re home, all right,” Spike led her up the stairs and around a bend, “but my guess is they’re busy… Fletcher!” he called out, throwing open one of the doors on the hallway.

“What now?” Fletcher turned around in his chair, saw Spike, and groaned. “You…” he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I might have known.”

“Yeah, me,” Spike retorted sarcastically. He ushered Isabelle inside. “Slayer,” he informed Fletcher as if he was a simpleton.

“You’ve got her then?” Fletcher said in obvious relief. “We’d gotten reports that—”

“Slayer,” Spike repeated. “Alive. Here. You owe me a load of overtime, twerp.”

Fletcher rolled his eyes. “Feel free to ignore him. Vampires in the morning, you know…” He gestured for Isabelle to take a seat. “I must say I’m most heartened that you’re still alive. I was afraid something had happened when we hadn’t heard about your situation in almost two days.” He cast a disapproving glare in Spike’s direction.

“Was busy,” the vampire insisted, lighting up a cigarette.

Fletcher seemed to wince at this action but said nothing. “Has Spike explained why you’re here?” he turned his full attention to the Slayer, which was quite impressive given that Spike was currently playing with his lighter over by his collection of rare books.

“You’re recruiting,” Isabelle gave him a wry smile, “and I’m out of work.”

“Indeed we are,” he agreed. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fletcher Price, but you can call me Mr. Price. I’m in charge of this division of SCBI.”

“Pleased to meet you, Fletcher,” Isabelle shook his hand.

“Not _another_ one!” Fletcher bemoaned his state of address.

Spike gave him a cocky grin and Isabelle a little wink. The Slayer blushed slightly and turned back to Fletcher.

“Spike’s already given me the spiel,” she informed him, “and he’s got a pretty good impersonation of you, too.”

“Oh dear god…” Fletcher muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, well it’s good for you,” Isabelle tried to restrain her laughter. “I’m a Slayer. The Watchers want to kill me. I’ve got no place else to go. I’m sold,” she informed him.

“Oh, well…good,” Fletcher said in surprise. “Are you trained?”

“For six miserable years,” she sulked.

“Are you…” he turned to Spike. “Er, is she…?”

“She’s not a spy,” Spike snorted in disgust. “’ve seen enough to know.”

“Well, then,” Fletcher said happily, “welcome aboard Ms. Navarro. I’m sure Spike will agree to show you around.” He gave the vampire a look that indicated that refusal was not an option.

“Yeah, sure,” Spike shrugged. “C’mon, Lioness, ‘ll give you the grand tour…”

“Thanks,” Isabelle waved to Fletcher before following Spike out. “God,” she started giggling almost immediately, “he’s just as stuffy as you said!”

Spike gave her a rakish grin. “He’s right fun to rag on,” he agreed. “I recommend doin’ it often.”

Isabelle gave him a flirtatious smile and took the arm he offered her.

“So, that was the study,” he began. “Tha’s where Fletcher lives. This—” He opened a door and paused when he saw the two old women and a young man sitting in the center of the room, chanting.

“Wh—?” Isabelle began to ask, but he put a hand over her mouth to stop her.

Another old woman noticed their entrance and gestured for them to go outside, following after them and closing the door behind her.

“Wha’s going on in there, Nibblet?” Spike demanded.

“Beta Team’s entered a magical barrier. We’re trying to bring it down,” the old woman explained. She turned to Isabelle. “And you are…?”

“Isabelle Navarro,” she responded.

“Ah, the other Slayer,” the old woman smiled. “My name is Dawn Salvatore, and I’m about fifty percent of the transportation around here.” She gave Isabelle her hand. “And _you_ ,” she turned to Spike with a stern expression on her face, “I haven’t seen you in months!”

“Sorry ‘bout that, Nibblet,” he gave her a hug and swung her around once before setting her back down. She let out a delighted little squeal. “Missed you, though.”

“You better have,” the old woman miraculously managed to pout.

“Always, Bit.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now, what’s up with Beta Team?”

“The transport with the Veliks was attacked,” Dawn began. “Beta Team went in after them. Apparently, there’s a lot of magic involved.”

“Watchers?” Spike asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Looks like it,” Dawn nodded.

“Watchers?” Isabelle repeated.

“’S part of their all-demons-deserve-death policy,” Spike explained. “They go after the Veliks even though all they’ve done for the past three thousand years ‘s be slaves.”

“We’ve been trying to liberate them,” Dawn explained, “but the Watchers kill them if they can.”

“Why is it that everything I hear about the Watchers’ Council makes me hate them more?” Isabelle sighed.

“That would be sanity,” Dawn joked lightly. “So, anyway, we’re trying to knock down this barrier, so we can resume contact with Alex.”

“Alex’s back in the field so soon, then?” Spike raised an eyebrow.

“He insisted,” Dawn shrugged. “Took the other new Slayer out and everything.”

“She’s already in the field?” The surprise in Spike’s voice was evident.

“Qualified just yesterday,” Dawn agreed.

“Then who’s supervis— No, wait, let me guess…” his tone abruptly turned sarcastic. “Big Sis?”

“On the nose,” Dawn giggled slightly.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, she just _would_ , wouldn’t she?” he sighed in exasperation. “Most bleedin’ stubborn an’ obnoxious woman you’ll even meet, luv,” he informed Isabelle.

“Yeah, well, if you two want to stick around, we should be getting through that barrier soon. Might be exiting,” Dawn offered.

Spike turned to Isabelle. She shrugged.

“Sure, why not?” Spike agreed. “Give the new Slayer a look at just how boring all this mumbo-jumbo an’ research is…”

Dawn laughed and took Isabelle’s hand. “Just don’t interrupt the spell,” she informed her, leading them back into the room with the Witches and Warlock. “This should be pretty cool…”

* * *

Ajaya flicked the light on her belt on just in time to see Buffy swing a sharp pike into the side of the creature that had attacked Lily. She noticed with no small amount of panic that they were surrounded by the things.

They had round bodies with six spidery legs. They appeared to be a strange pale blue color in the dim light, and their skin had an odd rubbery appearance, almost like whale hide. The most bizarre thing, however, was the complete and utter lack of any head.

At least, Ajaya _thought_ at first that they had no head. While she watched, a long, thin, snakelike object stretched out of one of the thing’s back and reached out to attack Lily again.

Buffy expertly whipped her pike around, lobbing the appendage off. The body of the creature quickly dissolved into a puddle of blue goo.

“Magic Drinkers!” Buffy informed Ajaya. “Don’t worry, they can’t really hurt you since your powers aren’t magical.”

“How do I kill them?” Ajaya removed her own pike from her belt, extended it to its full length, and stabbed the nearest Magic Drinker right through the middle. It dissolved almost immediately.

“Just jab at ‘em,” Buffy nodded her approval. “They’re not too difficult to kill.”

Ajaya kept stabbing, but the creatures just kept coming and coming. She screamed slightly when she felt a sharp pain in her leg and saw that one of the strange, mouth-like protrusions had gotten her. She impaled the creature that had gotten her quickly.

“One got me!” she called out, panicked.

“You’re not magical,” Buffy repeated. “It shouldn’t effect you much worse than a bee sting.”

“Lily?” Ajaya asked as the woman awoke, groaning behind them.

“It drain your powers?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah,” Lily groaned again.

“What about you?” Ajaya demanded of Buffy, forming a protective barrier between Lily and the creatures.

“I’m magically animated,” Buffy said soberly, the blade spinning in her hands and blocking all attacks with an ethereal grace. “One of them gets me, I’m dust…”

“There’s too many.” Lily was now on her feet, leaning back against the door behind her.

One of the things latched onto Ajaya’s arm, and she ripped it from her body. Buffy seemed to be having similar difficulty. Despite all her skill, tendrils were sneaking past her defenses. Ajaya barely sliced one in two before it caught Buffy’s ankle.

“Can’t you do something?” Ajaya demanded from Lily.

“I’m drained,” she repeated. “No magic…unless…” She turned to the door behind her.

“What are you doing?” Buffy called back.

“Testing out a theory,” Lily replied. She proceeded to bang on the door in a specific pattern. Three taps, break, one, break, two. She repeated the pattern again.

“I could really use some help!” Ajaya called back to her as two of the things managed to sting her simultaneously. She hissed in pain but held her ground.

“Yes!” Lily exclaimed in delight when the door behind them opened.

“In!” Buffy yanked Ajaya with her, and the three women fled inside. “That’s it!” she informed the four Velik Demons that were manning the door.

They managed to slam it shut before more than half a dozen Magic Drinkers got in. Buffy and Ajaya quickly disposed of them.

“How did you know?” Ajaya breathlessly asked Lily.

“The door was all scratched up,” Lily replied, collapsing onto a nearby bench. “I figured if something wanted in, there must be something inside.”

“And you found us,” a man’s voice said. Ajaya recognized Simon, the cabby that had first brought her to SCBI.

“The knocking was a code?” Ajaya asked.

“Standard SCBI distress,” Simon nodded. “Good thing you used it, too. We’ve kept that door barricaded all day.”

Buffy nodded. “What happened?”

Simon shrugged. “We were shot down. Something really heavy, probably magical. They herded us in here, kept us locked in but not much else…”

“They were using you for bait,” Lily said grimly. “Magic Drinkers don’t hurt Veliks.”

“But they hurt us,” Buffy agreed. “Oh god!” She put her head in her hands. “The others are still out there! Nicolas…”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Ajaya insisted. “There are plenty of places in this old building to hole up.”

Buffy nodded slowly, and her focus seemed to return. “How long will you be out?” she asked Lily.

“A couple of days,” Lily sighed. “Too late to be of any use…”

“Well then,” Buffy said, “we’ll just have to make do with what we have…”

* * *

Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she leapt back when the magical triangle exploded in a blinding flash of green light.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “The Witches—”

“Are fine,” an old woman’s voice said. A quick snap of her fingers and the light vanished. “Barrier’s down,” she announced.

Beside her, the other old woman still had her eyes closed in meditation. “Willow!” she finally opened her eyes in horror. “I still can’t contact Lily!”

“What?” the old Witch’s face turned pale. “What about Alex? Maybe the spell didn’t—”

“Alex is safe in one of the old offices,” the other woman shook her head. “They were forced there by Magic Drinkers. Only Lily’s group is lost…”

“Oh god,” the young Warlock said. “Can we locate them?”

“We can try,” Willow’s face hardened. “Who’s with her?”

“Buffy and Ajaya,” the other Witch informed her.

“Slayers,” Willow said. “They should be easy to track…”

The circle reformed, and quickly a swirl of dust formed between them. It rose all the way to the ceiling before settling on the floor.

Isabelle looked down at the image there and tried to decipher its meaning. It looked like a bunch of straight lines arranged at right angles in no particular order.

“That a good enough map?” Willow asked Dawn.

“It should work,” Dawn agreed. “Who do I go for first?” she asked Willow.

The old Witch’s brow furrowed. “We know Alex’s group is all right for now,” she said. “Go after Buffy’s.”

“If there are Magic Drinkers—” Dawn began.

“’ve got your back,” Spike sighed, “but only for you, Nibblet.”

Dawn flashed him a grateful smile.

“Am I going, too?” Isabelle asked.

Spike gave her a look.

“I haven’t killed anything in almost two days,” she insisted.

He gave her a wry smile at that. “OK,” he shrugged.

“What?” Willow protested. “But she’s—”

“Taken out eight vamps all by ‘er lonesome,” Spike cut it. “She can handle a few Magic Drinkers.”

Willow’s frown increased for a second, but then she nodded. “All right,” she agreed, “but Fletcher’s not going to like it.”

“Good,” Spike gave her a wide grin.

“Go,” Willow ordered Dawn, and there was a blinding flash of green light…

* * *

“Go!” Buffy shouted.

She and Ajaya threw the door open wide.

The first round of Magic Drinkers rushed in only to be instantly incinerated by a fireball from one of the Veliks’ mouth.

Another took his place when the fire and come to an end and let loose a new blazing inferno.

“What do we do when we run out of Velik Demons?” Ajaya asked Buffy.

“Hope the Magic Drinkers run out first,” Buffy replied off-handedly.

“This is a plan?!” Ajaya practically screeched.

Buffy shrugged. “We can always close the door again…”

However, just as she said it, a blinding flash of green light filled the room, sending everyone flying backwards.

Ajaya shielded her eyes, and when she looked up she saw Dawn surrounded by two people she didn’t recognize.

“C’mon, get up,” an Hispanic young woman with red highlighted hair gestured to her.

Ajaya took her hand and was pulled to her feet by incredible strength. “What are you?” Ajaya asked in surprise, keeping her back to the other woman’s as they fended off the Magic Drinkers with feet and blades. The other girl was easily her match in skill in strength.

“I’m Isabelle,” Isabelle gave her a small smile, “the Vampire Slayer. You?”

“Ajaya,” Ajaya repeated for the umpteenth time in the last few days, “the Vampire Slayer.”

Isabelle spun around suddenly, her mouth gaping. “You’re…?” she trailed off in astonishment.

“Lioness, watch your back!” Spike called out to her in warning.

Isabelle twisted to the side just in time to avoid a stinger to the back.

Buffy responded as well to the sound of that voice, spinning around with a look of disbelief on her face. “Spike?!” she finally hissed.

“Slayer…” he agreed, his eyes narrowing…


	10. Chapter 10

Buffy spun around with a look of disbelief on her face. “Spike?!” she finally hissed.

“Slayer…” he agreed, his eyes narrowing.

“Look out!” Ajaya called out, her pike stabbing one of the Magic Drinkers through the middle instants before it could grab Spike.

The immediate peril of their situation snapped the two vampires out of their confrontation.

“I need to get people out in small groups,” Dawn called out. “If I try to go at it in one shot, I can’t keep some of the vermin from coming with us.”

“Over here!” Simon gestured to where he and a still weakened Lily stood.

“They got me earlier,” Lily explained. “I’m no use.”

Dawn nodded. “You two, too,” she gestured to two of the Velik Demons that had already used up their flames for the day. A small green flash and they were gone.

“It should be about three groups,” Buffy commented. “Keep at it,” she instructed the rest of the Veliks.

They continued to release fireballs in turn, taking out swarms of the eerie blue creatures, but more and more just kept coming.

“Go, now!” Buffy gestured to where Dawn had just reappeared.

The demons ran for it and vanished in an instant.

“Jus’ leaves us, huh, Slayer?” Spike commented, skewering one of the beasts in mid-air and then stabbing another before the first had time to dissolve.

“Dawn’s gonna try to come down in the center of us,” Buffy ignored him. “We need to form a circle and keep anything from getting inside it.”

Ajaya and Isabelle nodded, moving into formation.

By now the floor was sticky and gooey with the blue slime, and Ajaya was having a difficult time keeping her feet in the slippery mess.

A flash of light and Dawn reappeared. “How are we going to do this?” she asked in concern, watching the Magic Drinkers coming in at them from all sides.

“Keep holding the perimeter,” Buffy instructed. “On the count of three we all dive to the center into Dawn’s portal. Dawn, go the _instant_ I say three. They shouldn’t have time to reach the opening before it closes.”

“Right,” Dawn nodded.

“Everybody ready?” Buffy asked. “Good. One…two… _three_!”

Four simultaneous dives, a blinding flash, and they were all gone…  
   
 

“Ow!” Isabelle exclaimed when something very hard hit her in the head.

“Sorry, Lioness.” Spike rubbed his head too.

“Whose foot is in my face?” Ajaya demanded.

“That would be mine,” Isabelle moved her leg.

“Dawnie, could you please get off of me?” Buffy said, her voice sounding oddly squished.

“ _You’re_ the one that hit _me_ right in the back of the knees,” Dawn retorted, getting shakily to her feet. “Think you could watch it? What with me being a frail, old woman and you with the combined Slayer/Vampire strength…”

“I didn’t mean to,” Buffy insisted.

“Right brilliant plan that was, Slayer,” Spike said sarcastically, pulling Isabelle up to her feet as well. “Four way head-on collision… Just bloody brilliant.”

“We’re alive, aren’t we?” Buffy retorted.

Ajaya gave her a hand up and discovered that they were back in the aircraft that had brought them there earlier. Simon, Lily, and the Veliks were all there, too.

“I have to go after the rest of Beta Team,” Dawn said. “Alex said they’ve all locked themselves in an office, so there shouldn’t be any problems with the Magic Drinkers.”

“I’ll come with you,” Buffy insisted.

“Surprise, surprise,” Spike muttered under his breath.

She gave him an annoyed look and turned back to Dawn. “Nicolas is in there,” she said.

“Right,” Dawn nodded, and the two women vanished.

“Brilliant,” Spike was still shaking his head, “jus’ bloody brilliant…” He turned abruptly to Ajaya and gave her an appraising look. “You’re new,” he commented. “Slayer?” The last comment was made with a sly smile and a bit of an eyebrow waggle.

She blushed and nodded. “Ajaya.”

“Spike,” he replied, turning again when the rest of their group reappeared. “Everyone all right?” he asked, watching Buffy support a limping Nicolas with a bit of a frown.

“We’ll live,” Alex agreed. “We have everybody?”

“All here,” Buffy nodded, sitting down beside Nicolas and strapping him in.

“Let’s get out of here then,” Alex said with a weary sigh.

They all managed to crowd themselves onto the benches that lined the plane, and soon everyone was strapped in and they were on their way back home.

Ajaya found herself in the rather awkward position between Buffy and Spike and after about ten minutes felt like her head was going to explode.

“Wanna trade seats?” Monica offered, noticing the decidedly distressed look on Ajaya’s face.

“Please,” she managed to say desperately.

“See, now look what you’ve done!” Buffy exclaimed. “Scaring away new recruits, same as always!”

“ _Me_?!” Spike retorted in disbelief. “I’m not the one who took her on an acrobatic act a hundred feet in the air. And, yes, I _did_ read the reports on that!”

Monica laughed, and soon Ajaya found herself in the much more comfortable position between Isabelle and Xeris.

“Look at ‘em go,” Isabelle giggled slightly. “I guess that’s the problem with vamps: they don’t have to stop to breathe.”

Ajaya laughed as well. “And I thought people gave _Fletcher_ a hard time,” she added.

“Oh, of course you would think that!” Spike yelled particularly loudly, causing the two Slayers to wince.

“ _Everyone_ thinks it,” Buffy said right back at him. “And while we’re on the topic: nice hair, _William_!”

 “What’s wrong with his hair?” Ajaya whispered.

Isabelle shrugged.

“It jus’ so happens that _some_ people,” Spike gave her a disapproving glance to indicate that she was _not_ one of those people, “actually bother to take undercover work seriously, instead of leapin’ off buildings in camouflage fatigues while kickin’ everyone in the face who gets in the way.”

“And _who_ exactly got back from assignment first, Mr. I-was-running-around-in-Spain-for-two-weeks?” Buffy huffed.

Spike’s nostrils flared, and Monica put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. “Hey, calm down,” she said. “Save it till we get home.”

“I could use the quiet right now,” Nicolas squeezed Buffy’s hand a bit harder. “I think I hit my head a bit harder than I’d first thought…”

Grumbling, the two vampires managed to pry their searing glares from each other and turned back to their seatmates.

“What was all that about?” Isabelle wondered.

“Dunno,” Ajaya said. “So, you’re a Slayer, huh?”

“Yup,” Isabelle said semi-proudly. “I’ve only been at it for about a week, though.”

“Same with me. Have you killed any vamps yet?” Ajaya asked.

“Oh, dozens,” Isabelle said off-handedly.

“Dozens?” Ajaya said in disbelief. “I’ve only staked one.”

“Watchers didn’t put you through the Seven Circles of Training Hell?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“I’ve never worked for the Watchers,” Ajaya explained. “They tried to kill me when I was Called, and Buffy saved me.”

Isabelle snorted in disgust. At Ajaya’s raised eyebrow, she clarified. “Watchers tried to kill me, too. Only that was _after_ they’d stripped away my life and basically turned me into their slave for six years.”

“Ouch,” Ajaya winced slightly. “I’d say I was sorry, but…” she trailed off.

Isabelle shrugged. “It’s no big. I’m cool with it.”

“Uh-huh,” Ajaya said, unconvinced, but she didn’t comment further.

* * *

“Oh thank the Goddess, Lily!” Willow cried out when the group finally entered through the mansion’s front doors.

“Honey, are you all right?” Aida was at her side almost the same instant Willow was.

The young Witch gave her parents a weak smile and nodded. With much fussing, they ushered her away from the group, leaving the others to sort themselves out.

Alex, Simon, and Xeris led the rescued Veliks away, and Ajaya turned to the rest of the group.

“You should get some rest,” Buffy was badgering Nicolas, still holding his hand tightly.

“We should get Maddie to check you out,” Monica agreed.

Spike leaned against the wall, lit up a cigarette, and snorted. “Oh no,” he said in mock horror, “Nicky’s injured! What ever shall we do?”

Nicolas gave him an annoyed scowl. “Don’t. Call. Me. ‘Nicky’,” he said with absolute venom in his voice.

Spike merely rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Nicky,” he gave him a brief salute.

Nicolas sighed in irritation, brushed off both Buffy and Monica who were insisting that he needed to be accompanied to the medical wing, and stalked off.

“Well,” Monica said, eyeing the glares Buffy and Spike were giving each other, “I have to go check in with Fletcher. You two aren’t going to rip the place to shreds, are you?”

“Might,” Spike commented with a seductive smirk in Buffy’s direction. “You never know…”

“Oh god!” Buffy rolled her eyes. “Believe it or not,” she turned to Monica, “at least _one_ of us is able to behave like an adult…”

Monica was slowly backing away now. “Bye, Isabelle! Bye, Ajaya!” she said quickly before dashing up the stairs and away from the imminent explosion.

“An _adult_?!” Spike roared. “This from a vampire who still insists on getting a tan every summer?!”

“Just because _some_ people have no fashion sense…”

“No fashion sense! I suppose that potato sack you were wearing at the Christmas dinner last year…”

“That was the fashion at the time! At least I still don’t think ultra-Goth is in!”

“Why you!” Spike’s hands clenched into fists, and he stalked right up to Buffy, his face only inches from hers.

“Ajaya,” Buffy said calmly, giving a slight yawn for Spike’s benefit, “why don’t you show Isabelle around? It seems there’s a bit of a situation I have to deal with here…”

“Situation?” Spike sputtered. “ _Situation_?!”

“Let’s go,” Ajaya took Isabelle’s hand, and they fled almost as quickly as Monica hand.

“Meow!” Isabelle shook her head in amazement once they were clear of the fight.

“Double meow,” Ajaya agreed, nodding slightly. She winced slightly when she heard a loud crash behind her.

“Looks like they’re thrashing the place after all,” Isabelle giggled slightly.

“Won’t Fletcher be pissed at that?” Ajaya began giggling as well.

“So, c’mon,” Isabelle said cheerfully. “Let’s see this great and wondrous institution…”

* * *

“Man,” Isabelle said, holding the door of the training room open behind her for Ajaya, “I wish _I_ could do that.”

“You think that’s cool,” Ajaya nodded, “you should see what Monica can do.”

“Monica,” Isabelle closed her eyes for an instant while they walked down the hallway, “black-haired woman who was on the mission with us, Alex’s second-in-command, Dawn’s granddaughter, you don’t know who her Dad is, were-jaguar,” she recited from memory.

“How can you do that?” Ajaya said in disbelief. “The instant I hear someone’s name I forget it.”

Isabelle shrugged.

“And here,” Ajaya said grandiosely, executing a graceful twirl, “we are back in the main hall,” she finished with a flourish. “Notice the clever circular path we’ve taken around the mansion so as not to waste any time backtracking.”

“Quite impressive,” Isabelle gave her an amused grin. “I’d almost think you were a professional guide.”

“Ah, but I’m not finished yet,” Ajaya said, gesturing to the door to their left. “All that remains is the sitting roo—”

She was cut off by a scream from inside.

“Huh?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“Bloody hell!” a voice cried out from inside.

“That sounded like Spike…” Ajaya commented.

“…And Buffy,” Isabelle finished.

A loud crash sounded from within the sitting room.

“They’re really going to kill each other!” Ajaya said in alarm, reaching for the door handle. She yanked it open, took one look, and slammed it shut.

“What?” Isabelle demanded of the pale look on Ajaya’s face.

“They’re not killing each other…” she said blankly.

Isabelle looked at her confusedly and then turned the knob herself, peeking inside. “Oh man!” her eyes widened, and she closed the door, too.

Ajaya nodded meekly.

Isabelle took a second to compose herself and then took another peek.

“Isabelle!” Ajaya hissed in shock.

“What?” she shrugged. “He’s hot. And I might not ever get another chance to see him naked.”

Ajaya’s face turned beet red, and she immediately turned away.

Isabelle sighed and shut the door again. “Do you suppose it hurts?” she asked thoughtfully.

“Hurts?” Ajaya said in disbelief.

“The thing with the fangs,” Isabelle clarified. “You’d _think_ it would hurt, but judging by the expressions on their faces…”

“Can we not talk about it?” Ajaya requested. “I’m already mortified enough.”

Isabelle sighed. “And I had my eye set on him, too…” She shrugged. “Oh well, another hot vampire at nine o’clock.”

Ajaya looked up abruptly, and her face blanched when she saw Nicolas approaching.

“Ajaya, have you seen Buffy?” he asked, coming up to stand right in front of them.

“No!” Ajaya instantly squeaked, moving between him and the door.

He gave her an odd look. “Fletcher’s been trying to get ahold of her, but she’s not responding to her communicator…”

“Well, that’s probably because she’s busy—Mmf!” Isabelle was cut off when Ajaya slapped her hand over her mouth.

“She’s just busy,” Ajaya clarified, giving Isabelle a knowing glare.

Nicolas raised an eyebrow. “Are you two getting along all right?” he said, trying to decipher their rather bizarre actions.

“Fine,” Ajaya nodded, smiling brightly. She nudged Isabelle.

“Yeah, fine,” Isabelle gave the other Slayer a slight eye roll.

“Uh-huh,” Nicolas said, unconvinced. “Well, if you see Buffy, could you—”

He was abruptly cut off by another high-pitched scream from the sitting room.

“Um…er…” Ajaya stuttered. “That was just…um…”

“Buffy!” Spike’s voice shouted loudly. And obviously not in anger.

“Oh god!” Ajaya put her head in her hands.

Nicolas’ eyes widened for an instant as he looked at the door. “Are they at it _again_?!” He shook his head. “Honestly, they can’t go to their own room?”

Ajaya peeked through her fingers to look at him. “Huh?” she said confusedly.

“You didn’t walk in on them, did you?” Nicolas said apologetically.

“It was no big,” Isabelle insisted.

“B-But…” Ajaya stuttered. “How can you be so calm about this?!” she finally blurted out.

“It’s not like it hasn’t happened before,” Nicolas shrugged. “You just get used to it.”

“B-But she’s your mate!” Ajaya insisted.

“ _What_?!” Nicolas said in complete shock. “Where on earth did you get _that_ idea?” he said in disbelief.

Ajaya’s face turned bright red. “B-Buffy told me so! She said you were her Sire, and you sired her so that she would be the same age as you and-and…” her lightning-fast speech was cut off abruptly when Nicolas started laughing.

“Sorry,” he said, wiping his eyes since they had started to tear up in his mirth. “It’s just that… I can’t believe you thought…” He began laughing uncontrollably again.

“But you _are_ her Sire?” Ajaya persisted.

“Yes,” Nicolas managed to compose himself enough to answer her, “but I only did it because Spike couldn’t. We planned it all out so that I could do it when she was twenty-six, the same as him. It was actually quite flattering that they asked me…”

“Why couldn’t Spike do it?” Isabelle asked curiously while Ajaya stuttered in the background.

“Oh, well, he doesn’t have a soul,” Nicolas explained.

Isabelle stared at him blankly.

“And I do,” he added.

Still the blank stare.

“Oh, of course,” he slapped himself on the forehead, “new recruits! You probably don’t know, do you?”

“Obviously not,” Isabelle shook her head.

“It’s actually pretty interesting,” Nicolas said. He noticed Ajaya was still coughing. “You want something to drink?” he asked her.

“No,” she insisted between hacks.

He shrugged. “Any way, it turns out something funny happens when a souled vampire sires a Childe. Their Childe has all the physical attributes of a vampire: animated corpse, same weaknesses, that sort of thing. But the strange part is that they don’t ever get possessed by a demon. They keep their soul, no strings attached.”

“Sweet deal,” Isabelle said.

“Holding hands!” Ajaya finally declared emphatically. “You were holding hands! All the time! I saw it!”

“Oh, that,” Nicolas waved his hand in the air dismissively. “That’s just because of the ring Buffy wears. Didn’t she tell you about it?”

“Ring?” Ajaya repeated, still in shock.

“Yeah, she wears it on her right index finger?” he prodded. “No? Well, it has magical properties. Allows vamps to go out in sunlight. Only you have to be touching it for it to work. Since we have a limited number, I tend to mooch off Buffy’s while she’s here. I’m on the waiting list, though. Should get one next time the Witches go through all the ceremonies and annointments and such…”

“Spike has one, too, I bet,” Isabelle concluded. “That’s how he was taking all those daytime strolls.”

Nicolas nodded.

“Holding hands…” Ajaya shook her head.

“I can assure you, we were only holding hands when I was in the daylight,” he informed her.

“So, when she went back for you…” Ajaya trailed off.

“Broad daylight,” Nicolas nodded. “Had to be in contact with a ring before I could be transported.”

“She kissed you?” Ajaya produced her last argument.

“What?!” Nicolas said. “When?”

“On the mission,” Ajaya said, “right before we split up. On the cheek, I saw it.”

“Oh,” Nicolas said, “well I _am_ practically family, after all. I’ve gotten more romantic kisses from _Spike_ , actually…which is a very bizarre story involving a dog, some celery, five fledgling vampires, and _way_ too much liquor…” He trailed off and shook his head.

“Ugh!” Ajaya finally exclaimed. “So embarrassing…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicolas smiled at her and shrugged. “If you want, I won’t even mention it to Buffy.”

Ajaya nodded meekly, her face still flaming red.

“So, why’d they pick you?” Isabelle asked, snapping her gum as she did so. “For the siring thing, I mean.”

“Well, it was either me or Angel,” he said.

“Buffy’s ex?” Ajaya asked.

“That’s the one,” Nicolas chuckled slightly. “ _He’s_ Spike’s Sire…well, one of his Sires anyway. Long story,” he responded to their confused looks. “Anyway, that kind of ruled him out, and I was Buffy and Spike’s only other souled vampire friend.”

“You are Spike are _friends_?” Isabelle raised an amused eyebrow.

Nicolas let out a peel of laughter at this. “Yes,” he agreed, “oddly enough, the fact that he’s the most irritating individual alive doesn’t preclude him from being my friend.”

“Aha!” Ajaya produced one last argument. “If they’re mates, then why were they fighting so much?”

“You’re not going to make me give you the Vampire Foreplay 101 lecture, are you?” Nicolas sighed.

“Dunno,” Isabelle gave him a flirtatious smile, “that could be kind of…fun.” She gave him an appraising glance.

Nicolas laughed. “Flattered, but spoken for,” he replied.

Isabelle pouted. “Damn! The cute ones are always taken! Who is she? Can I steal you away from her?” she implored.

“No, you can’t. And as for who she is,” he gave them a wink, “that’s a secret…”


	11. Chapter 11

BEEP, BEEP.

Pause. Silence.

BEEP, BEEP.

Buffy groaned in annoyance and snuggled deeper into the side of her mate.

BEEP, BEEP!

Despite all the laws of physics, the beeping managed to sound more and more annoyed every time it sounded.

“Fine,” Buffy grumbled, sitting up and searching the room for her pants.

BEEP, _BEEP_!

Her communicator screamed in annoyance, pointing her in the right direction.

“Coming, jeez… Keep your shirt on,” she rolled her eyes, reaching over Spike’s nude body to retrieve the small black phone from her back pocket.

“What?!” she demanded, irritated, flicking it on.

“I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for over an hour!” Fletcher’s voice complained. “You _are_ still on assignment, in case you’re forgotten!”

“What?” Buffy retorted sarcastically. “You couldn’t just follow the sound of the crashing furniture?”

She could almost _hear_ Fletcher blush.

“I…I…” he stuttered a bit on the other end, trying to force his mind back on track.

Buffy yawned and then purred slightly when Spike rose up beside her, lightly kissing her shoulder and throat.

“You have to complete your assignment,” Fletcher seemed to have recovered at the other end of the line. “I’ve been _trying_ to inform you that the debriefing’s in fifteen minutes.”

“Tell ‘im you’ve already _been_ ‘debriefed’, luv,” Spike whispered into her free ear with a sultry voice.

Buffy swatted at him playfully and tried to ignore his exploring hands so she could concentrate on getting Fletcher off the phone as soon as possible.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “Fifteen minutes. I’ll be there.”

“And bring Spike with you,” Fletcher said wearily.

“Uh-huh, sure, bye!” Buffy hung up before he could respond and dropped the phone, turning her full attention to her mate’s advances.

“Mmm…” Spike murmured into her shoulder, pushing her back onto the rug.

“ ‘Mmm’ indeed,” Buffy agreed, her hands splaying over the muscles of his chest.

“Missed you so much,” he said, kissing her gently on the lips.

“Not as much as I’ve missed you.” Her hands caught in his hair, and she pulled him down for a deep, passionate kiss.

Their tongues explored, rediscovering territory that they’d had memorized for over fifty years yet never seemed to grow tired of. They finally pulled back, both panting unnecessarily.

Spike lazily licked at the mark where he’d claimed her while Buffy continued to toy with his hair.

“Seriously,” she finally commented, “we’re really going to have to do something about that hair…”

“Don’t like the change, Slayer?” he teased.

Buffy shuttered slightly. “It reminds me of your soulful self,” she confessed.

Spike frowned slightly. “’ll fix it tonight,” he agreed.

“You’d better,” she gave him a wry smile and pulled him down for another kiss…

BEEP, BEEP.

BEEP, BEEP!

“What now?!” Spike yelled into the receiver.

“Ten minutes,” Fletcher informed him briskly. “I’d suggest you two get up and going.”

“Twerp, when I get my hands on—”

His threat was abruptly cut off when Fletcher hung up.

“Can I kill him?” Spike implored Buffy.

She giggled slightly. “No, but you could throw him into the pond again. That was fun to watch…”

He smiled before sighing and dropping the phone.

“We’d better get dressed,” Buffy said gloomily.

He shut his eyes and rested his forehead against hers for a minute before he nodded. “Right then, let’s go an’ get this over with.”

The search for clothes was always a challenging prospect, and Buffy tried to dig one of her boots out from under the couch while Spike searched in vain for his shirt.

“Plant,” Buffy informed him, pointing to a small potted tree.

Spike managed to extricate his garment from the branches and began fastening up the buttons. “You do realize that this is big, right?” he commented off-handedly.

“Most direct attack the Watchers have ever made against us,” Buffy agreed, finally liberating her boot and sitting down to put it on.

“Probably some big action comin’…”

“Probably,” she smiled a bit at his none-too-subtle hints.

He finally sighed in exasperation and caught her roughly by the shoulders. “We’re s’posed to be on vacation,” he informed her sternly. “If we get caught up in this…” he trailed off.

“I know,” she agreed. “I’ve already been working non-stop for almost four months, and I deserve my break.” She nodded mock-seriously.

“Buffy…” he pleaded.

She placed one finger over his lips to silence him. “They need our help,” she insisted.

“If you just keep volunteerin’ for every bleedin’ mission you hear about—” he began.

“This one’s different,” she cut him off, “and you know it. This is _my_ fight.”

“I know,” he said softly, smoothing the hair on her head down to cover up the evidence of their recent activities, “but that doesn’t mean I ‘ave to like it.”

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Once this is over,” she smiled slyly, “we’ll take a nice, long vacation. Make another round of the world, kill all the nasty things that try to bother us…”

“Promise?” he demanded, looking her sternly in the eyes.

“Promise,” she agreed, and then frowned slightly. “As long as you do _something_ about that hair…”

* * *

“Wow, any more fun around here, and a funeral would break out,” Isabelle joked lightly. “These things always so dour?”

Ajaya frowned. “I’ve never been to one before,” she confessed, “but I think it’s more serious than usual.”

The expressions of those around them certainly seemed to indicate this. Alex and Fletcher sat perfectly still and stared at each other, grim looks on their faces. Monica, Xeris, and Nicolas were all whispering amongst each other, frowns furrowing their brows. Lily wasn’t there; she had been given a sedative to help her rest after the attack. The three old women were also silent for once, leaving Fletcher to look authoritative and official in peace. Buffy and Spike hadn’t arrived.

“They’re sure taking their time,” Isabelle whispered to Ajaya. “Suppose they’re at it again?”

Ajaya blushed slightly and whapped Isabelle lightly on the arm. “I’m sure they’ll be here,” she said. “Although,” she checked her watch, “they are late…”

She trailed off when she heard two familiar voices arguing in the hallway.

“I _told_ you I’d fix it already!” Spike was exclaiming. “Sometimes I think the only reason you claimed me was because of my hair!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Buffy said right back. “To quote a recently dearly departed friend: ‘I find many of your other physical attributes equally pleasing’.”

“Oh, an’ who could _ever_ ‘ve said something like that?” Spike opened the door and rolled his eyes sarcastically.

“Sorry we’re late,” Buffy shoved right past him and quickly took the available seat next to Ajaya.

Spike preferred to lean back against the doorframe. He took out a cigarette and lit up as Fletcher cleared his throat to start.

“We now have magical confirmation that it was the Watchers’ Council indeed that was behind this latest attack,” he turned to Willow.

“We checked the source of the magic that drained Lily,” she said, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. “It led straight back to those bastards. They created the Magic Drinkers.”

“And it would’ve taken a _huge_ effort to create so many,” Aida added. “We’re talking at least a dozen mages.”

“They were after us,” Monica commented thoughtfully. “We had much more to lose from the Magic Drinkers than the Veliks.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with you,” Fletcher sighed. “The attack on the Veliks was merely a tactic to draw us out.”

“Pretty bold for those wankers,” Spike commented. “Generally they spend all their time, sittin’ around, drinkin’ tea, and _talkin’_ ‘bout actually doin’ somethin’ like this…”

“They seem to be stepping up to our most recent challenges,” Fletcher agreed. “This attack was not the only one. Three other incidents have been reported by our offices around the world, though none,” he said to the concerned looks around him, “as serious as the attack on us.”

“You think it’s because of the Slayers?” Nicolas asked.

Fletcher nodded wearily. “This is the first time we’ve ever managed to snatch a Slayer right out from her Watcher’s nose,” he gestured to Isabelle. “Usually, they’re terminated before we have the chance. And our success has put the Council in a rather awkward position. We now control three Slayers, four if you count Buffy. The Council itself only has three…”

“An even playing field,” Buffy’s eyes narrowed.

“Actually, I’d say that we have the advantage,” Fletcher corrected her. “Whether or not the Watchers officially classify you as a ‘Slayer’, they have undoubtedly figured you into their calculations.”

“So we’ve _really_ got ‘em running scared this time,” Buffy said with satisfaction. “Good.”

“Unfortunately, it gives them only one option for obvious retaliation,” Fletcher commented.

“Kill us and hope the new Slayers are more to their liking,” Isabelle guessed. “Am I right?”

Fletcher nodded. “Isabelle here managed to capture all her Watcher’s files. I’ve been looking through them, and it appears as if the Council is in serious trouble. They have tightened their security quite a bit recently, and many of the younger Watchers didn’t make the cut, so to speak.”

“They’re weakening,” Buffy said, surprised.

“Which means they’re getting desperate. Their resources are nowhere near what they had back when I was a member.”

“So, if they want to come after us, they have to do it soon,” Monica nodded slowly. “Hence the attack.”

“Then my people were just pawns in their game,” Xeris frowned.

“Typical Watcher tactics, luv,” Monica gave him a sad smile. “All demons are expendable to them.”

“But if they want to kill the Slayers,” Nicolas’ brow furrowed slightly, “then why the Magic Drinkers? Slayers are about the only thing they don’t harm…”

“Well, except me,” Buffy added.

“They had no way of knowing you would be there,” Alex, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all this time, finally spoke up. “The problem is I don’t think we have any way of determining exactly what the Watchers’ goal was in the attack this morning.”

“Kill as many as they can?” Monica suggested.

“Leave the Slayers the only ones left standing, so they can deal with them themselves?” Willow added.

“They didn’t know Buffy would be there,” Alex reminded her. “Or Ajaya.”

“A simple strike then,” Fletcher agreed. “We’ll assume Monica’s guess is correct.”

“Then why focus most of their energy here?” Willow frowned slightly, something seeming a bit off to her.

“Any number of reasons,” Alex shrugged. “Maybe that information we stole…”

“They’d have no way of knowin’ that’s here, either, mate,” Spike pointed out, taking another long drag on his cigarette.

Monica cast him an annoyed glance and pointedly coughed.

He merely smirked at her and kept right on smoking.

Fletcher let out another weary sigh. He seemed to be making a habit out of that lately. “Can we tell anything from the actual attack itself?” he asked.

“I have spoken to Simon and several of my people,” Xeris said somberly. “They say that the creatures drove them into hiding, but then stopped their pursuit. The goal seemed to be to capture, not kill.”

“Same thing happened to us,” Monica agreed. “Xeris and I were practically _herded_ over to Alex and Nicolas. Once we’d locked ourselves into the office, they just kept watch.”

Buffy frowned. “That’s not what happened to us. They were out to get us – kept banging on the door trying to get in.”

Dawn nodded. “We barely managed to teleport out of there,” she agreed. “There were a lot more going after them that the others.”

“We were popular,” Buffy agreed. “ _Everything_ wanted to kill us…”

“I’ll look into it,” Fletcher nodded. “Maybe something about the behavior of Magic Drinkers…”

“Or maybe they’re just really bitter about what happened in India,” Buffy shrugged.

“In any case,” Fletcher leaned forward, “I think the general meaning of this attack was clear. We have always opposed the Watchers’ Council, but rarely have we come into conflict before. However, there have now been nearly a dozen incidents over the last few weeks, putting more and more of our people in danger. Like it or not, the Watchers seem to want war…”

* * *

Clifford Fitzpatrick pressed the flashing red button before him, activating the viewscreen at the end of the Council chamber. The six Watchers on either side of him watched the static-y, scrambled image on the other side of the receiver with just as much interest.

“Report,” Fitzpatrick demanded in the clipped, precise tones of his upper class British accent.

“Objective failed,” the voice at the other end said, sounding just as scrambled as the image looked. “They escaped.”

“I see,” Fitzpatrick’s brow furrowed and turned to look at one of the Watchers at the end of the table. “It appears you have failed us twice over, Mr. West,” he commented stonily.

West removed a handkerchief from his pocked and wiped his brow. “I-I assure you, Sir,” he stuttered slightly. “E-Everything will be taken c-care of.”

“It had better.” Fitzpatrick fixed him with a cold stare for a minute before turning back to the screen. “Do they realize our intent?” he inquired.

“Completely in the dark,” his informant said. “The plan can still work.”

“Good,” Fitzpatrick said, “I’m glad to see someone succeeding in their assignments… Tell me, do they even suspect that they have a spy in their midst?”

“Not at all,” the screen replied. “They’ll never know what hit them.”

“Ah, revenge is sweet…” Fitzpatrick muttered to himself.

“I’ve got to go,” the voice on the videophone said. “I could be caught at any minute.”

“By all means, go,” Fitzpatrick gave him a snakelike smile. “And we thank you for your loyalty to the true forces of light…”

With a flicker, the screen was blank.

“I take it your next plan will be more successful,” Fitzpatrick returned his attention to West. “I’d hate to have to _remove_ you from you position…”

“I won’t fail you again,” West insisted nervously. “This time the target won’t stand a chance…”


	12. Chapter 12

_It was dark._

 _She spun around slowly, trying to figure out where she was. Ever so slowly, the outlines of cold, stone crosses came into focus, the unnatural blackness still causing them to fade slowly in and out of view._

 _The strange tingles at the back of her neck were by far the scariest part, though. She knew what that sixth sense of hers indicated. Danger. And it was close._

 _She instantly dropped into a fighting stance, crouched and ready for her opponent – whoever, or whatever, it was._

 _The figure that finally stepped out of the shadows caught her completely off-guard._

 _“Hello, Isabelle,” Mr. West said, a cold, murderous smile on his face._

 _Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in her side. She looked down in disbelief to see the bolt of a crossbow sticking right out of her stomach._

 _“H-How did you—?” she stuttered._

 _“You never see it coming.” West shook his head in that way he had always done when she’d failed in her training. “You never see me coming…”_

 _And then, as she watched on in horror, the figure before her changed in form. It seemed to almost hollow out until all that was left was a billowing cloak. The cloak changed as well. It took on a deep navy blue tint, and something glimmered gold on the front of it, fading in and out of existence._

 _Isabelle found all her attention centered upon the strange symbol, trying to decipher it…_

 _She was jerked back when the cloth billowed outwards, taking on a strangely humanoid shape. One of the arms reached out and caught her by the throat, and she found herself lifted high up off of the ground. She hadn’t realized before just how large the thing was. She dangled helplessly over fifty feet above the ground, the air slowly receding from her lungs._

 _“Slayers were meant to die young…” it hissed in a strange, gravelly voice._

 _And then it dropped her. She plunged down and down and down, all the while looking up at her ghostly attacker._

 _And that was when the golden symbol finally came into clear focus._

 _A circle with four letters in the middle. Letters she had seen all too frequently as of late…_

 _It was only then that she screamed…_  
   
 

“Wake up!”

Isabelle’s eyes flew open when someone roughly shook her shoulders. Instinctively, she lashed off, sending her attacker halfway across the room.

“Oof!” Ajaya complained, rising to her feet almost instantly. “Watch it, will you?” she said, obviously annoyed. “I was just trying to help…”

Isabelle shook her head, and her consciousness fully took control over her body once again. “Sorry,” she said wearily, rubbing her temples lightly and trying to rid herself of the headache she’d suddenly developed. “I had a bad dream…”

“I gathered,” Ajaya sat back down on her own bed across from Isabelle’s. “You were screaming up a storm.”

“Yeah, well…” Isabelle shrugged and trailed off.

“You want to talk about it?” Ajaya asked, concerned.

“Nah,” Isabelle brushed her off. “It was just a stupid dream: villains, monsters, typical Slayer stuff… It’s no big.”

“You’re sure?” Ajaya pressed.

“Look, I’m fine,” Isabelle insisted, getting up. “And it’s late. Shouldn’t we be training or something?”

“We’re not scheduled until noon,” Ajaya answered.

“What about breakfast?” Isabelle was enthusiastically tossing on her sweats now.

“There’s this kind of brunch buffet thing in the dinning room,” Ajaya answered, slipping back into her role as tour guide.

“Let’s go eat then. I’m famished.” Isabelle flashed her a broad grin.

“OK,” Ajaya got up as well, and they headed out. “You’re sure you’re all right, though?” she asked once last time. “You just kept screaming…”

“What?” Isabelle asked nonchalantly when Ajaya trailed off.

“You were screaming ‘SCBI’,” Ajaya finally admitted.

“Hmm, weird.” Isabelle shrugged again, heading off down the hall. And trying to erase the image of those four letters embossed on the front of the creature that had attacked her. S. C. B. I…

* * *

“How’s Lily doing this morning?” Monica was asking Willow when Ajaya and Isabelle finally sat down at the table with their breakfasts.

The old Witch’s brow furrowed. “Not too good, actually,” she admitted. “She’s got a bit of a fever now…can’t even get out of bed…”

“She was drained that badly?” Ajaya said in surprise. “She seemed pretty much all right at the time.”

“Yeah,” Willow nodded. “She seems to be getting worse, though.” Then she shook her head. “It’s probably just a little flu bug that’s taken hold now that she’s weak,” she decided a bit more cheerily.

“It might be a good idea to give her a bit of a magical check-up,” Fletcher suggested, sipping at his cup of tea, “just to make sure the Council didn’t find a way to attack her while her defenses were down.”

“Aida and I will work on it this afternoon,” Willow agreed. “Never can be too careful, after all…”

“And how are you two doing this fine, snowy morning?” Monica asked the two Slayers that were scarfing down their food in that way that only Slayers who’ve been out killing nasties can.

“Hungry,” Isabelle joked, taking a bite of her toast.

“Bad dreams,” Ajaya added.

“What?” Fletcher instantly looked up, alert. “You’ve been having nightmares?” he demanded of Ajaya.

“Not me,” Ajaya shook her head, gesturing to Isabelle.

The redheaded Slayer practically choked on her coffee and began hacking incessantly.

Fletcher frowned at waited for her to calm down. “What did you dream about?” he asked when she was finally able to breathe again.

“Nothing,” Isabelle insisted. “Fighting badies, dark stuff, nothing unusual.” She flashed him the same everything’s-OK smile she’d used on Ajaya earlier.

If anything, Fletcher looked _less_ convinced than Ajaya had. “You _are_ aware that Slayer dreams can be prophetic?” He looked at her sternly. “Anything at all you can remember could be very important.”

“Then it’s too bad I don’t remember anything,” Isabelle countered, her fingers nervously fingering the napkin on her lap.

Only Ajaya beside her was able to see her fidgeting.

Fletcher sighed. “In the future, I would advise you – both of you,” he added, including Ajaya, “to keep journals of any dreams you may have. At times like these, any clue we can gather concerning things to come could mean the difference between life and death…”

“My old Watcher,” Isabelle said softly and a bit sheepishly.

Everyone turned a curious eye in her direction, except for Xeris who was staring intently at what looked like a Jell-O mold that was continuously changing colors. Isabelle kept her eyes on the spectacle of the midnight blue demon, not wanting to have to face those around her. His tongue flicked out right as the Jell-O-like thing turned bright green, and a hole burned into the structure where his tongue had been. Isabelle frowned slightly, actually becoming a bit curious as to what he was doing…

“Your Watcher?” Fletcher interrupted her moment of self-imposed oblivion.

“He said I wouldn’t see him coming,” Isabelle shut her eyes and finally decided to ‘fess up, “and then there was this crossbow bolt sticking out of my chest.”

She took another quick sip from her coffee and turned her attention back to Xeris. His horns were now flashing bright orange.

“The context of this scene?” Fletcher continued to press her.

“It was dark. We were in a cemetery. I couldn’t see anything, then he stepped out, and it went down like I told you,” Isabelle replied, somewhat irritated.

“I see.” Fletcher was now cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief. “I suppose that could be taken literally or metaphorically then,” he muttered to himself, obviously somewhat concerned by this turn of events. “Was that all?” he asked Isabelle.

“Yup,” she said a bit too hastily.

Luckily for her, Fletcher was too busy trying to interpret her dream to notice. “It would seem to be a warning that the Watchers are coming after us, in some way, shape, or form,” he commented. “Of course, we don’t know whether they’ll come just for Isabelle…or if it’s just her Watcher…” He sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I need more information. Ajaya, did you have any dreams last night?”

“No, sorry,” the Bengali woman shook her head apologetically.

“I suppose I should ask Buffy as well…” Fletcher decided. “Has anyone seen her this morning?”

“No, but I _heard_ her all night,” an irritated voice exclaimed from the doorway. They all looked up to see a _very_ pissed off looking Alex storm into the room. “Nicky and I had to camp out in the drawing room just to get some sleep,” he complained. “And then, of course, I discover that _he_ snores. I mean, who ever heard of a vampire snoring? He doesn’t even need to _breathe_ , let alone _snore_ …” He poured himself a large cup of coffee and collapsed into the seat beside Ajaya grumpily.

“Well, now you know why your parents complained about living under them for so long…” Willow began, before trailing off abruptly at the pained look on his face.

“Yeah, they did…” he said so softly that they almost couldn’t hear him.

There was a long, awful silence in the room.

Isabelle watched everybody return to their food nervously, except Xeris who had never left it…if that weird thing _was_ food, that was…

“So, what’s the deal with your parents?” she finally demanded of Alex, the awkward silence finally driving her crazy.

Several spit takes followed her question, and Alex gave her what could only be called the Evil Glare of Death.

“They’re dead,” he informed her icily.

“How?” she asked curiously, popping a grape into her mouth.

“Magic.” If looks could kill, his would have.

Isabelle shrugged. “Sorry ‘bout that…” She took another bite of her waffles.

“ _Sorry_?!” Alex exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re _sorry_?!”

“Yeah,” she gave him a mildly annoyed look. “Why not?”

“How about because you have absolutely no idea who or what you’re talking about?!” He was practically sputtering in indignation now. “My mother was immortal! She should have stayed with me forever, but no! _Magic_ had to take her away from me.”

“Jeez,” Isabelle’s eyes widened, “I said I was sorry. What’s your problem?”

“My _problem_?!” he hissed, leaning over Ajaya to glare at her. The Indian Slayer suddenly felt very uncomfortably in the way. “My problem is Slayers that don’t know anything opening their fat mouths about things that don’t concern them.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “So, you lost your parents. I’m sorry but chewing me out’s not going to make you feel better, and you’re not using me as your punching bag, either.”

Alex’s face turned an interesting shade of purple, and he was so furious he couldn’t force the words from his mouth.

“And,” Isabelle added, yawning, “if you’re going to spit all over the place, can you do it somewhere else? I’m trying to eat here, and it’s very unappetizing.”

 _That_ finally did the trick.

Alex slammed his fist down on the table before stomping out of the room, enraged. At the door, Buffy and Spike had the misfortune of colliding with him.

“Don’t you two _ever_ sleep?” he grumbled, shoving his way past them. There was a loud crash as the door shut behind him.

“Uh…what was that all about then?” Spike asked, wide-eyed.

“Overreact much?” Isabelle snorted derisively and rolled her eyes at Alex’s behavior. “He was just throwing a hissy fit because I refused to molly coddle him…” She trailed off abruptly when she got a good look at the vampire.

Her mouth dropped open, and he shrugged and ran a hand sheepishly through he newly re-bleached hair.

“And I thought ‘yum’ before…” Isabelle licked her lips, saw that Buffy was giving Spike the exact same look she was, and sighed disappointedly. “Oh well, at least we can eat in peace without General Bringdown in the way,” she shrugged, picking up a piece of toast and buttering it.

Everyone – including Xeris – was now staring at her with a mix of wide-eyed horror and awe.

“I-Isabelle,” Willow began nervously, “you really shouldn’t provoke him like that…”

“Why not?” she retorted. “He started it. I was just asking an innocent question, and then _boom_! Mt. Krakatoa.”

“He’s just lost both his parents and his fiancée,” Monica supplied. “He’s rather…delicate at the moment.”

“He didn’t seem all that delicate to me,” Isabelle shrugged. “He seemed like he needed someone to give him a good, hard slap of reality.”

Spike flashed her a broad smile and gave her a little wink of agreement when he sat down beside her.

At the end of the table, Fletcher stifled a laugh.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

“It’s nothing,” he insisted. “You just reminded me of someone there for a second…”

Isabelle shrugged and turned back to her food.

“Well, no harm, no foul, I guess.” Monica shrugged as well. “Just try not to provoke him in the future.”

“No problem,” Isabelle smiled slyly, “as long as you tell _him_ not to provoke _me_.”

And, at this, everyone desperately began trying to make pleasant small talk to erase the incident from their minds.

“Hey, Isabelle,” Ajaya gave her a conspiratorial smile.

“What?” Isabelle turned to look at her.

“Next time I have to train with Alex,” she grinned evilly, “you’re coming with me.”

Isabelle smiled as well. “I take it he’s not much more pleasant then?”

“Nope,” Ajaya frowned slightly. Then her expression brightened again. “And I can’t yell anywhere near as loud as you.”

The two Slayers both laughed at that, their own conversation drifting away from serious matters once more.

Which was why everyone was caught completely off guard when an explosion rocked the building…


	13. Chapter 13

With lightning-quick reflexes she hadn’t even known she’d possessed, Ajaya dove under the table. A second later she heard the sound of glass shattering. She clutched her ears at the sound of the explosion and hissed when a few of the shards from the window cut her hands.

“Ajaya!”

She looked up startled when she felt someone shaking her shoulders. It was Buffy, under the table behind her and bleeding from numerous glass cuts in the face.

“Are you all right?” Buffy demanded.

Ajaya nodded weakly and watched Buffy crawl over to Isabelle and give her the same treatment. She absently noticed now that their entire brunch group was under the table as well – apparently years of training had honed their reactions well.

“Is everyone here?” Fletcher demanded of Buffy, holding his napkin firmly to a large cut on Willow’s arm.

“All here.” The Slayer-turned-vampire looked more flustered than Ajaya had ever seen her before.

“Why aren’t the security lock-down procedures working?” Fletcher demanded.

“I-I don’t know,” Willow stuttered, obviously still in shock. “It should have…” She trailed off and winced, clutching at her forehead.

“Xeris!” Fletcher called to the Velik Demon under the far end of the table.

He nodded, apparently intuiting Fletcher’s unspoken command, and dashed across the room, ducking low as he went. It was a good thing he did, too. Several laser sights of snipers flashed through the window, lit up by the dust that was still in the air due to the explosion.

Ajaya continued to watch as Xeris wove through the damaged furniture in the room, finally coming to a halt near one of the bookcases at the rear of the room.

“Distraction?” Fletcher looked around.

“I’ll—”

“I’ll do it!” Spike yelled abruptly, cutting Buffy off before she could volunteer.

She cast him an annoyed glance but winced when he leapt up onto the surface of the table. Instantly, several shots were fired in quick succession. Ajaya shut her eyes tight after the first one caught him in the arm – he was fast, but not _that_ fast.

“Holy shit,” Isabelle exclaimed beside her. “What on earth does he think he’s—”

She stopped when she saw Xeris stand up while all the fire was targeted on Spike and flip open a control panel. He slammed his fist into the large, red button at the center, and metallic crashes sounded all throughout the room as steel walls descended, covering the windows.

Isabelle blinked in the sudden dark, and then dim red lights illuminated the room just enough to get around.

“Everybody up,” Fletcher ordered, satisfied when the first few shots fired against their new steel protection did little more than make slight ‘pinging’ sounds.

He pulled Willow to her feet carefully, and Isabelle assisted him in carrying her over to the far side of the room, away from the windows.

“Is everyone all right?” he demanded wearily through one broken glasses lens.

They all stood around with varying degrees of injury, nodding in shock. Ajaya was relieved to discover that the explosion itself had only resulted in minor cuts. Isabelle was nearly as unscathed as she was. Everyone else bore minor cuts across their faces and arms, but aside from the gash on Willow’s arm and an injury that was causing Monica to limp, they’d been extremely lucky.

Spike was, by now, the worst off by far. Buffy sat him down gingerly against an overturned armchair. In addition to the bullet in the arm Ajaya’d seen him take, he had another one in his side and something – quite possibly a laser – had grazed the side of his head.

“We need to get him medical attention,” Buffy said worriedly.

He nodded meekly, his eyes fluttering shut from the blood loss.

“Now!” Her voice held a note of panic in it that Ajaya’d never heard before.

“We can’t go anywhere until we get the security system up,” Fletcher insisted.

“Isn’t this it?” Isabelle gestured to the metal plating that was still holding up just fine.

“Just for this room,” Fletcher waved her off. “Monica, can you walk?” he demanded.

The were-jaguar bit back a grimace when she got back up to her feet but nodded.

“Good,” Fletcher went for the door. “We’re going to the main control room. Xeris, do you have your communicator on you?”

The midnight blue demon held up the device.

“We’ll contact you when it’s safe to come out. Get everyone to the medical wing as quickly as possible.”

Xeris nodded and shut the door quickly behind Fletcher and Monica before any potential snipers could shoot in.

“So we just wait here, then?” Isabelle asked incredulously.

“It will not be safe anywhere else until the entire building is sealed off,” Xeris informed her solemnly.

Ajaya borrowed several cushions that were scattered across the floor and settled Willow down more comfortably. “Are you OK?” she flinched slightly at the wound.

Willow managed a wry smile. “I’ve had a lot worse,” she said and then grimaced, “but they aren’t hurting me right now like this one is… Buffy?” She turned to the vampire pair over by the wall. “Buffy?!”

“What?” Buffy looked up in surprise, apparently aware of anything besides her mate for the first time in a while.

“What’s the prognosis?” Willow demanded.

“Just blood loss.” Buffy rested Spike’s uninjured temple against her chest and held it there. The way his head lolled about indicated all too clearly that he was unconscious. “So close, though…” She went back into her own little shocked trance while she cleaned the wound to his head as best she could.

“Buffy?” Willow repeated, keeping her focusing on the here and now. She gave Ajaya a pleading look.

“Buffy, what’s happening?” Ajaya got the message and continued to distract the forlorn vampire.

“I-I don’t know,” Buffy admitted. “Those were pretty big explosions…”

“Explosions?” Isabelle cocked a curious eyebrow in her direction. “I only heard the one.”

“Two,” Buffy insisted. “Only a split second’s difference. It was the second one that took out…” She trailed off and stroked her lover’s platinum hair fondly.

“Guess our reaction time wasn’t as good as I thought,” Willow winced slightly and shifted. “We had a second of advanced warning. Who do you think did this, Buff?”

“The Watcher’s Council?” Buffy hazarded a guess. “What could _possibly_ be taking Fletcher this long?” she demanded irately, staring at Xeris’ silent communicator.

“They have to pass at least a dozen doors to get to the elevator,” Xeris responded calmly. “They must cross each one carefully.”

“I know that!” Buffy barked impatiently. “It’s just—”

She was interrupted by the chirping of the communicator. Several dozen more metallic clangs drowned out Xeris’ conversation.

“All clear,” he finally called out once it was silent again.

“Let’s go.” Buffy lifted Spike up gently into her arms, careful of his wounds.

Isabelle did likewise to Willow, and the six of them made their way through the remarkably undamaged hallway towards the medical wing, Xeris in the lead.

The entire building was now lit only by the red, flashing emergency lights, and for the first time it really struck Ajaya that despite the comfortable atmosphere of the mansion, it was a place of battle.

“Xeris!”

The group spun around at the call.

“Are you all right?” Alex demanded, Nicolas hot on his heels. They both held laser rifles as they approached.

“No casualties that I’ve seen,” Xeris reported. “Fletcher and Monica activated the security shut-down. We’re trying to get to the medical wing now.” He gestured to the unconscious Spike and injured Willow.

“Can you make it on your own?” Alex demanded of Buffy. “We need as many people as we can get to hold off the points of entry.”

Buffy nodded. “Here.” She slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it to Nicolas. He quickly put it on.

Alex nodded. “Xeris, Ajaya, you’re with me.”

Ajaya accepted the extra rifle that Alex had been carrying and followed the other members of her team down a side hallway.

“This way.” Buffy took the lead. “We should stick to the main corridors,” she began babbling slightly to Isabelle. “That way, we’ll stay out of the way of all the teams—”

She stopped abruptly when they reached was Isabelle assumed was the entrance to the medical wing. There was no doubt that this was ground zero for the explosion. Ahead of them, everything was in ruins, twisted shrapnel from the walls making the way completely unpassable.

“Uh…what do we do now?” Isabelle asked, still in shock.

“W-We…” Buffy trailed off in horror at the sight before her. She had no idea if the rooms had been occupied or not, but if they had there were certainly no survivors…

“Maybe we should find Fletcher and report this?” Isabelle suggested.

“Good idea,” Buffy agreed, shaking herself out of her stupor. “He’ll be in the war room. If there’s anyone here with medical training…” She broke off sadly. “They’ll be down there, too,” she finally finished assertively.

* * *

“Safety on, off,” Alex quickly showed Ajaya the controls on her laser rifle. “Just aim and pull the trigger.”

She nodded nervously.

“Follow Nicky,” he ordered her. “Do whatever he does.”

Nicolas flashed her a reassuring smile.

“Got it,” Ajaya nodded vigorously.

“There’s at least three snipers out there. Stay low. Everyone ready?”

Alex got three nods.

“Go.” He ordered.

Xeris dashed out the back door while the other three gave him cover fire. The demon found shelter behind an overturned birdbath and signaled that he was clear.

“Let’s go.” Nicolas grabbed her hand, and they ran for the memorial wall while Xeris and Alex let loose a volley of shots at their concealed opponents.

Ajaya breathed a deep sigh of relief once they were safely behind the wall.

“You OK?” Nicolas asked, finding a notch to rest his rifle in and taking aim.

“Fine.” Ajaya copied his actions.

“There’s one over by the trees there,” Nicolas indicated with his sight. “Fire in that direction.”

“OK,” Ajaya agreed.

Nicolas gave Alex the go ahead, and Ajaya began firing like crazy once he ran from the safety of the doorway.

“Ha!” Nicolas cried in delight beside her. “Got him!”

“How can you even tell?” Ajaya asked, firing again when she saw a bullet shoot from the bushes near where her target was.

“Vamp vision,” Nicolas responded, reloading his weapon. “Plus, no more shots from that direction…”

Ajaya continued firing when Xeris made another run forwards.

“You ready again?” Nicolas asked.

Ajaya nodded, and they scrambled over to a small grove of trees fifty feet closer to her target.

“OK,” Nicolas said as they dove to the ground to avoid several shots overhead, “here’s what we’re going to do. You stay here and cover me. Only worry about the guy up ahead. Alex and Xeris’ll take care to the other one. Just keep firing so he can’t get a good trace on me.”

“What are you going to do?” Ajaya asked in alarm.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicolas insisted. “Ready?”

Nod.

“Now!”

Ajaya fired in rapid succession at the source of the sniper’s bullets. Nicolas dashed out from the grove of trees and bobbed and weaved through the garden paths, making his way over to their target.

Despite Ajaya’s best attempts at being distracting, one bullet fired in Nicolas’ direction, and only vamp speed allowed him to duck to the side in time. The bullet grazed right past him, so close that it actually passed through his jacket.

Ajaya’s eyes narrowed in anger, and she snapped her attention back to the opponent in the bushes. A strange calmness settled over her, and it felt as though the world receded. All that existed was the sniper opposing her. Everything seemed magnified, focused, clear… She could _actually_ see him. Without thinking, she took perfect aim and fired. The bullet’s trajectory seemed to move in slow motion, and she could follow it clearly as she hit her mark.

Then, suddenly, the trance was gone. Yelling and firing and explosions returned with deafening intensity. She felt herself go a bit dizzy after what she’d just experienced.

Only half-aware of what she was watching, she saw Nicolas make the final dash into the bushes. There was a bit of a scuffling, and then he emerged again, running over to her position.

“You got ‘im.” He gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder. “He had two Magic Drinkers with him for some reason, but I cleaned them out. Good work.”

“Uh-huh,” Ajaya muttered dumbly.

“You OK?” Nicolas’ elated expression turned concerned. “Are you hit?”

Ajaya managed to shake her head. “It…he… Was it human?” she finally asked weakly.

“Human?” Nicolas raised an eyebrow. “Of course, he was…” he trailed off, realizing her dilemma. “Hey, Ajaya.” He caught her by the shoulders. “This is a war,” he said softly. “There are casualties. And he attacked us first. It was pretty much him or us.”

“I-I know,” Ajaya stuttered before slipping back into her native tongue. “I didn’t want to kill anybody. I don’t know what came over me! I was the hunter and he the hunted, and I didn’t feel any remorse or human pity or…or…”

Nicolas was concentrating on what she was saying very intently, probably – Ajaya realized belatedly – because he was trying to translate what she had said.

“It happens to everybody,” he finally responded in Bengali. “The thrill of the hunt. But it is especially hard for us predator species. You just have to take it for what it is: an instinctive reaction to survive. It doesn’t mean anything about you as a person when it happens. The only thing that’s important is how you feel about it afterwards.”

“I feel terrible,” Ajaya whimpered, sniffing away at her tears.

“Then I’d say you don’t have anything to worry about,” he gave her a friendly smile.

Across the yard, two more shots were fired and then silence.

“Nick, you still there?” Alex’s voice called out.

“All present and accounted for,” Nicolas shouted back. “C’mon,” he said, turning to Ajaya. “Let’s get back inside. You can worry about what happened later.”

Ajaya nodded meekly and took Nicolas’ offered hand. They made the quick run back to the mansion, and all breathed a sigh of relief once they were safely back inside.

“Things seem to be quieting down,” Nicolas commented as the sounds of weapons slowly tapered off in the background.

“My guess is that they’re retreating,” Alex nodded. “Let’s go find out what’s going on…”

* * *

“Aha!” Monica exclaimed in delight, hitting a few keys on the console before her and watching red lights appear on the map in front of her all around the building. “ ‘Shields are up, Captain’,” she managed to joke.

“Good,” Fletcher said from his position on Spike’s legs. He and Buffy were attempting to hold the unconscious vampire still while one of the medics removed the bullet from his side. “How many intruders to we have left?”

“Just two out front, it looks like.” Monica continued to watch the map. “Alex is kicking ass out in the garden…”

“Any new perimeter threats?” Fletcher demanded just as the nurse victoriously pulled the bullet out of Spike.

“It looks like they’re retreating,” Monica frowned. “Curious… I didn’t think they’d give up this easily.”

“It was probably an attack designed to do the maximum damage in the smallest amount of time.” Fletcher yanked hard on one end of a bandage while the medic fastened the other end around Spike’s stomach. “Keep an eye on things.”

In the meantime, Isabelle held Willow’s arm steady while another medic put disinfectant in the wound. The old witch winced in pain but refrained from crying out loud.

“It looks like they’re gone,” Monica commented.

“Then we’d better go count our casualties,” Fletcher said wearily. “If this is the worst of it,” he frowned, watching Buffy cradle a now bandaged Spike and feed him a bag of blood, “then we’ll have come out of this damn lucky…”


	14. Chapter 14

Isabelle fidgeted in her seat nervously. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It wasn’t even the tension of nervousness or anticipation; it was pure, unadulterated horror. Virtually no one spoke, not even to whisper among themselves.

The sterile atmosphere of the room did nothing to help things. The underground security rooms lacked all the comfortable elegance of the rest of the mansion, and Isabelle was willing to bet a million bucks that this wasn’t normally where these meetings were held. For one, the room was way too crowded and they were packed in like sardines.

Fletcher leaned against the wall at the far side of the room looking more disheveled than either Isabelle or Ajaya had ever seen him. One of his glasses lenses was still broken, and he was reading the computer screen before him with an odd squint in one eye. His expression was dark, causing nervous little twitches from those who were watching him. He was most certainly the center of all attention.

With a sigh, he finally removed his broken glasses and began.

“As you know, at 10:49 this morning we were attacked.” His tone attempted to remain cool and collected, but slight quavers of nervousness slipped through from time to time. “We have now confirmed that our unseen enemy was, indeed, the Watcher’s Council.”

This caused an instant buzz, mostly of comments like “I knew it!”

“Quiet, please!” The chatter instantly stopped at Fletcher’s command. “Two large, explosive missile devices were fired simultaneously at 10:49. The first impacted directly at the center of the surgery room in the medical wing. The second struck the Temple on the second floor next to the library. Both primary targets were completely obliterated. From what we’ve gathered so far, no one was in the Temple at the time of the attack. There were at least ten patients and three nurses in the medical wing, all presumed dead.”

The stunned silence was deafening.

Fletcher faltered a bit but managed to continue. “In addition, the force of the explosions blew out all the windows in the building. Fortunately, the attack was mid-morning and thus most of our vampire residents were safely asleep in the interior rooms. However, there are currently three missing and presumed dusted.”

“Who?” someone from the back of the room asked.

“I’ll give you the complete preliminary casualty list when I’m done,” Fletcher assured her. “Finally, snipers managed to kill at least two residents within the building before the security grid was activated. A third was killed driving the Watcher’s Council from the front yard. At this moment, our count is nineteen dead, at least twenty-five seriously injured.

“The list is as follows: Bevrok, Ryan Blaire…”

“You know any of these people?” Isabelle asked Ajaya as Fletcher continued to read off the names.

Ajaya shook her head. “I think I might have met Selin briefly at lunch once, but…” She trailed off when Fletcher went past the ‘R’s. “Good,” she breathed a sigh of relief, “Lily wasn’t staying in the medical wing…”

“That is the list thus far,” Fletcher finished solemnly. “Already we have been contacted by the government. They are debating whether to declare this an act of terrorism. If so, we may have to decide what should be done with the Watchers’ Council – a decision,” he sighed wearily, “that I do not relish having to make in the least.

“As for the security system, we are still investigating what went wrong. It should have deployed automatically at the first sign of attack.

“I will now hand out more detailed reports to all the squad leaders.” He began passing out data pads to those gathered around him. “Everyone meet with their squad leader for your current assignments. Lambda Team will meet with me since their squad leader is currently presumed dust.”

“Let’s go,” Ajaya caught hold of Isabelle’s hand and wove her way through the crowd to where Alex was waiting against the west wall. “You can meet with my squad.”

They got there to find Alex frowning at the data pad, Monica bursting out into tears, and Xeris staring blankly into space.

Nicolas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Terrible…” he shuttered slightly.

“We’re lucky we didn’t lose you,” Alex said quietly. “If you’d still been in the drawing room when the windows went…” He trailed off with a little gulp.

“I’m all right,” Nicolas insisted, smiling weakly at the little pat Monica managed to give him on the shoulder.

“I know Buffy’s not technically a member of the squad,” Alex began, “but you’re probably all noticing that she’s not here. I just wanted to assure you all that she’s fine, not injured or anything. She’s just waiting with Spike until he regains consciousness. It looks like he’ll be OK, too…”

“Thank god they were wearing their rings,” Monica commented between sniffs.

“Reminds me,” Nicolas toyed with the ring on his hand, “I should give this back…”

“Not yet,” Alex informed him. “You’re going to need it this afternoon.” He flashed the data pad in their direction, showing them their assignment. “We have the dubious pleasure of searching the remains of the medical wing for survivors,” he sighed. “If there’s anyone who doesn’t feel able to accomplish this task…” He trailed off and looked at the assembled faces.

Monica managed to pull herself together and nodded firmly. Everyone else indicated their willingness to help as well.

“Let’s go then,” Alex ushered them out the door. “What kind of sick bastards attack a hospital anyway?” he muttered furiously under his breath.

Ajaya couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

* * *

“Holy shit!” Isabelle’s eyes widened in amazement at the twisted shrapnel before them. “There’s no _way_ anyone survived that!”

“Keep your pessimistic comments to yourself,” Alex snapped, giving her a dark look.

Isabelle thought about giving him a sour glare but decided that now was not the right time. She leaned back against a fence post beside Ajaya and watched several people walk around the rim of the destruction, moving large blue tarps with them as they went.

“What exactly are they doing?” Isabelle wondered curiously.

“My guess is that they’re covering the area with a tarp before we began digging through the wreckage,” Ajaya answered, “in case there are any vamps in there that would be dusted by the sun.” She watched several of those strangely short people – as in, shorter than _she_ was, short – with the funny-looking capes surround the arc of tarp.

“How are they going to get it up—Oh!” Isabelle cut her question off abruptly when the answer to her question made itself apparent.

The ‘capes’ of the small, petite figures expanded, revealing their true purpose. Ajaya and Isabelle watched in amazement as the large butterfly wings extended, and the butterfly people took to the air, pulling the tarp up with them.

“OK, I wish I could do _that_ ,” Isabelle commented, awed when they came to graceful, light landings on top of the wreckage and fastened the tarp in place, creating a sort of a tent safe from the daylight.

“All right, let’s move in,” Alex said once he’d gotten the go-ahead call from one of the butterfly people. “Remember to keep your ears open for any sounds of life…”

Isabelle and Ajaya managed to end up side by side in the search through the rubble. After a while, even their combined Slayer stamina began to fade after lifting heavy metal beams over and over again and depositing them in piles to be cleared to a dump.

So far the excitement of the afternoon had been the discovery of two bodies: the first a human patient, and the second a Velik nurse. The second discovery had pretty much broken up Xeris, and Alex had ordered him off the job.

All in all, it was very discouraging…

“This is hopeless…” Isabelle was just saying for the umpteenth time when a shout from Monica sent everyone running in her direction.

“We’ve found someone!” she cried out in delight.

In the squeeze of the crowd, Isabelle just barely managed to see a head and arm protruding from the wreckage.

“What is it?” Ajaya demanded, unable to see over any of the spectators.

“Vamp. Still undusted,” Isabelle informed her.

“OK, people, clear out,” Alex managed to push the crowd back by the tone in his voice alone. “She needs room to breathe…or, er…you know what I mean. We’re going to need someone strong to help lift off this beam. Gupta, Navarro? You here anywhere?”

Isabelle and Ajaya came forward as the crowd parted around them.

“Gupta, you’re the lightest,” Alex said. “You take the far end.” He gestured to the ragged edge of the metal that was a good twenty feet within the rubble. “Be careful not to shift anything.”

Ajaya nodded nervously and began to carefully pick her way through the center of the destruction, wincing every time she felt the debris move beneath her feet. She finally reached the far end without creating any landslides.

Several other people with super-strength were now standing at various places along the length of the beam. They waited for Alex’s command before all lifting simultaneously.

Even with another Slayer, two vamps, and three other assorted demons helping her, Ajaya found the weight of the beam almost unbearable. They inched it sideways and forward with agonizingly slowness, the rubble shifting dangerously under Ajaya’s feet in warning.

After an eternity, she finally heard Alex shout that she was clear of the wreckage, and she gratefully set the beam down.

By the time she rejoined Isabelle, there was already a flurry of action around the newly-discovered survivor. Mere minutes later, they’d been hijacked to carry the stretcher and, along with Nicolas and the ever-important ring, made their way carefully to the makeshift infirmary in the war room.

“We need immediate medical attention here!” Nicolas called out to one of the doctors.

Soon the oriental vampiress had been taken from their care, and doctors and nurses scurried around the victim, cleaning up wounds and feeding her blood.

Nicolas sat against the wall in exhaustion, and Ajaya and Isabelle joined him.

“She’s lucky to be undead,” Isabelle commented. “The rubble must have shielded her from the sun.”

Nicolas nodded. “She would have died if she were anything but a vamp,” he agreed solemnly. “It looked like the rubble crushed her rib cage. That’ll take one hell of a long time to heal…” He let out a deep unnecessary sigh and stood again. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he informed them. “You two get back to the blast site. Tell Alex I’m going off to tell Lambda Team that they haven’t lost their leader after all…”

* * *

No more survivors had been discovered in the rest of the excavations. The final tally was eighteen dead. Serious injuries had dropped to twelve over the course of the evening, and Isabelle had dropped in for a second to see Spike once he had been dropped from the critical list. He had still been unconscious, and Buffy had been curled up asleep at his side, but Isabelle could already see the improvement in his injuries. It was the first time she’d ever been grateful for vamp healing…well, the second. The first had been when the vamp they’d discovered in the wreckage had survived.

Now, she lay back on her bed in complete exhaustion, staring at the steel plates that still covered every window in the mansion and would continue to do so until they’d discovered what had gone wrong with the security system. It was a bit unnerving, but not half an unnerving as the thoughts that were running through Isabelle’s head at that moment.

It had been in her dream. Someone at SCBI had been trying to kill her. That seemed to indicate that someone here was working with the Watchers’ Council…and she had absolutely no idea who it could be.

She wearily rolled onto her side and watched Ajaya scribble and erase at mathematical calculations on the bed across from hers. The other Slayer was biting at the earpiece of a pair of Coke-bottle glasses she’d obviously didn’t need to see and murmuring softly to herself.

“Ajaya…” Isabelle slowly began.

“Yeah?” Ajaya looked up at her with a sudden start.

“What are you doing?” Isabelle chickened out of her intended question.

“Engineering final,” Ajaya answered matter-of-factly. “I got an extension because of the vamp attack, but I want to get it done before the next semester…” She began babbling.

Isabelle frowned slightly at the other Slayer’s nervous mannerisms. “Are you OK?” she finally asked.

“Fine,” Ajaya insisted a bit too quickly. “Never better.”

“This was really nasty,” Isabelle frowned slightly. “It’s OK if you’re not fine. _I’m_ not really fine, and I’ve only been here for two days…”

“ ‘Nasty’?!” Ajaya abruptly spat. “You have no idea what ‘nasty’ really is! You weren’t out there! You didn’t have to fight them!”

“Woah!” Isabelle raised her hands defensively. “Whatever it was that I said, I didn’t mean it…”

Ajaya clenched her fists and gave Isabelle a furious scowl before bursting out into tears on her bed.

To say that Isabelle was surprised by this sudden mood swing would have been an understatement.

“Hey,” she said softly, carefully resting a hand on Ajaya’s shoulder, “what’s wrong?”

“I killed him.” It was a barely audible whisper.

“What?” Isabelle asked in confusion and disbelief.

“When,” sniff, “we were in the firefight with the snipers,” Ajaya managed to pull herself together enough to speak. “I shot one of them…killed him…”

“Oh.” Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she sat down on the edge of Ajaya’s bed. “Was he shooting at you at the time?” she finally asked.

“Does it matter?” Ajaya shuttered slightly. “He was human, and I killed him.”

“I know I should say something more than ‘bummer’ here, but I can’t think of anything,” Isabelle gave her a nervous smile.

“I-I talked to Fletcher,” Ajaya admitted. “He called me aside to talk to him about it… That’s why I was late getting back here.”

“What did he say?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“The usual,” Ajaya shrugged. “That it was either me or him, and that what I did was no different than saving innocent lives from vamps. H-He said that humans are no different than demons, and that if they try to hurt innocent people it’s the Slayer’s job to stop them…” She trailed off and grabbed a Kleenex from the night stand to blow her nose.

Isabelle’s brow furrowed. “He really said that?” she said in surprise.

Ajaya nodded.

Isabelle’s concerned frown increased. “I’m not sure I agree with that…about the humans being the same as demons part…”

“Well, I would feel just as terrible if I’d hurt Nicky or Xeris or Spike,” Ajaya hastily defended the statement.

“But they’re _good_ demons,” Isabelle said. “What you killed was a _bad_ human. You wouldn’t have felt like this if you’d have killed an evil demon, would you?”

Ajaya paused for a second. “No,” she finally agreed. “I didn’t feel at all guilty after I staked my first vamp.”

“See, there you go. There _is_ a difference,” Isabelle concluded.

“No,” Ajaya said slowly, “there’s not. It’s just a double standard, a prejudice…” She looked thoroughly horrified at the idea.

“They’re _demons_ ,” Isabelle insisted. “It’s natural.”

“How is it natural?” Ajaya demanded. “How is it any different from any other prejudice?”

“Demons try to kill people,” Isabelle countered.

“So do humans!” Ajaya protested. “England enslaved my country for years. Does that mean that Fletcher and Spike are both evil by default just because they’re British?”

“That’s different,” Isabelle waved her off. “British people aren’t evil by definition.”

“And demons are?” Ajaya argued.

“Well, yeah.”

“So that means that Nicolas is evil then? And Xeris? And Spike? You sure didn’t seem to find him all that evil when you were checking him out this morning,” Ajaya pointed out.

“They’re different,” Isabelle insisted. “They’re good demons.”

“So, if there are good demons, then demons _can’t_ be evil by definition,” Ajaya declared triumphantly.

“Huh?” Isabelle looked at her blankly and then shook her head. “What were we talking about anyway?”

“You were just reminding me that I was being unfair sympathizing with an evil human but not an evil demon as well,” Ajaya said, cheered up slightly.

“I see…” Isabelle had clearly been lost a few turns back. “Did it work?”

“Maybe,” Ajaya bit her lower lip. “A bit, yeah.”

“Well, then that’s all right then,” Isabelle gave her a small smirk.

“Thanks,” Ajaya said softly.

“Er…no problem,” Isabelle shrugged nonchalantly. “It was my pleasure to do…whatever it was that I did.”

There was an awkward silence between the two Slayers for a while when Ajaya returned to her homework and Isabelle continued to think about the dream she’d had the night before.

“Ajaya?” Isabelle finally repeated her earlier query.

“Yeah?” Ajaya looked back up at her.

“Can I trust you?” Isabelle demanded seriously.

Ajaya blinked at her confusedly for a minute and then nodded. “Sure.”

Isabelle took a deep breath before beginning. “I lied earlier about my dream,” she confessed. “I do remember more of it. There was another figure who attacked me.”

“Do you remember who?” Ajaya asked, her full attention now on what Isabelle was saying.

“No,” Isabelle shook her head. “It wasn’t an actual person really…just a uniform.”

“Uniform?” Ajaya’s eyebrow rose an inch.

“An SCBI uniform,” Isabelle nodded. “I think it was a warning…that someone here is a traitor…”


	15. Chapter 15

“Aha!” Ajaya exclaimed in delight, dotting the final ‘i’ with her pencil. “It’s done!”

Isabelle watched her, mildly bemused. “Do you have idea how _incredibly_ nerdy that is?” she gestured to the chart Ajaya had just completed.

“Laugh all you want,” Ajaya mock-pouted, “but when this chart reveals the identity of the traitor, I’m going to make you eat your words.”

“Yeah, sure,” Isabelle scoffed.

“Clear organization is the best way to pursue logical reasoning,” Ajaya lectured.

“So?” Isabelle shrugged. “Who is it?”

Ajaya’s elated mood deflated. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “ _Everyone’s_ got points in their favor and points against them…well, almost everyone.”

“Almost?” Isabelle looked at the chart curiously.

“I couldn’t find anything against Monica,” she admitted.

“So, can we cross her out then?” Isabelle asked.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea yet,” Ajaya frowned. “We don’t have enough information. In fact, the _only_ thing we have to go on is that you’re pretty sure it’s someone you know…”

“The dream definitely had that feel,” Isabelle agreed. “Like if I could just rip off the mask, there’d be someone I knew underneath.”

“Which means the list is pretty much limited to the people involved with the last mission,” Ajaya commented. “Anything else you can remember? Gender? ‘Cause that one would be _really_ helpful…”

“Completely neuter attacker,” Isabelle sighed. “I have no clue whether it was a man or a woman.”

“Well, then,” Ajaya rolled up her sleeves, “we’re just going to have to narrow it down the old fashioned way.” She handed Isabelle a list of names and questions.

“ ‘Old-fashioned way’?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“Undercover investigation,” Ajaya rubbed her hands together enthusiastically…

* * *

“So, Ajaya,” Fletcher spared her a little smile when he handed her a cup of tea, “how are you feeling this morning?”

“Better,” Ajaya smiled as well and took a sip.

He looked at her over the rims of his glasses. “So soon?” he asked speculatively.

She shrugged. “I’m not about to host Sanity Fair any time soon,” she conceded, “but some of the things you said about looking at humans and demons in the same way… They kind of sank in.”

“I’m delighted to hear that,” he said. “Quite frequently Slayers are…preconditioned to look down upon all demons. It’s generally something they have to work very hard at to overcome.”

Ajaya nodded. “Isabelle will have a tough time, I think.”

“Council raised Slayers are always the worst,” Fletcher agreed. “Their Watchers pound the good vs. evil dichotomy into their brains incessantly.”

“You don’t think there’s good and evil?” Ajaya asked curiously.

Fletcher shook his head. “Perhaps in some very rare circumstances,” he conceded, “but in general, no. Everyone tends to act in a way beneficial to them and consistent with their worldview. Demons aren’t _evil_ , per se; they just don’t view the killing of humans as fundamentally wrong. Which, given the fact that many species of demons feed upon humans, makes a certain amount of sense. _I_ certainly don’t consider myself evil because I feed upon cattle.”

“Isn’t that a rather…unusual perspective for a former Watcher to have?” Ajaya pointed out.

Fletcher chuckled slightly. “Oh, the Watchers’ Council and I have many differences,” he clarified. “It’s partially to blame for why they threw me out.”

“Doesn’t seem like such a great loss,” Ajaya commented off-handedly. “It seems like you’re better off here.”

“Quite,” Fletcher agreed. “Although right now…”

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Ajaya agreed. “I’m really sorry about what happened here. I bet you knew everyone who died…”

“I did,” Fletcher said blankly, obviously trying to fight back the emotions that were threatening to break through to the surface.

“Any idea what went wrong with the security system?” Ajaya found a way to gather information and distract Fletcher from his grief at the same time.

He sighed. “Somebody turned the automatic response system off.” He shook his head. “Whoever did it must be feeling terrible right about now…if they even know.”

“That’s pretty easy to do then?” Ajaya asked.

He nodded. “A lot of the routine computer maintenance requires that system be deactivated. I suspect that someone simply forgot to turn it back on,” he said thoughtfully.

“And you really don’t know who it was?” she pressed.

“There are no records,” he explained. “The general access code is all that it takes to deactivate the system. No way of tracking down who it was… I do hope they come forward. A mistake like this is always most difficult to deal with when you’re on your own…”

* * *

“He awake?” Isabelle demanded when Buffy opened the door.

She nodded and let Isabelle in. “Bedroom,” she gestured to the adjoining room.

Isabelle walked in to find Spike practically mummified with bandages lying back on the bed with one hand cuffed to the headboard.

“I wasn’t interrupting anything kinky, was I?” Isabelle joked.

“No,” Buffy smiled slightly, “just my attempts at keeping an overly stubborn vampire in bed until he recovers.”

“Could turn into somethin’ kinky, if you wanted it to,” Spike leered at them both lasciviously. “Both of you…”

“You need rest,” Buffy informed him sternly.

Spike shrugged. “To what do I owe the honor of such a lovely visitor?” he asked Isabelle in a voice that was a few notes more upper class than his usual London drawl.

“Searching for signs of life,” Isabelle teased.

“Won’t find any here,” he quipped right back at her. “Been dead for over 150 years.”

“I take it by the irritating levels of sarcasm that he’ll be all right then?” Isabelle addressed Buffy.

“’ey!” Spike protested.

“He’ll be fine,” Buffy pointedly ignored her lover’s protest.

“Bossy, self-centered chits,” Spike grumbled under his breath.

“Nice place you’ve got here,” Isabelle joined in the fun of ignoring Spike.

“Thanks,” Buffy said, giggling slightly at the murderous look in her mate’s eyes. “It’s not ours, though.”

“No?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“We’re got a little place in the Colorado Rockies,” Buffy explained. “Fletcher just lets us use one of the guest suites whenever we’re here.”

“Which is practically _always_ ,” Spike complained.

“Hush,” Buffy ordered him. “You need to sleep.”

“Can’t do that with you bints here chatterin’ away with your shrill l’il voices now, can I?” he sulked.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Fine, we’ll take it to the living room,” she sighed. “Now _sleep_.”

Isabelle and Buffy burst out into giggles at the swearing that wafted through the bedroom door behind them.

“He’s so much fun to baby,” Buffy said gleefully. “Nothing else pisses him off more.”

“He sure has got pouting down to an art,” Isabelle snickered.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “He has _such_ double standards. Of course, he absolutely _loves_ to baby me…”

“How very guy-ish,” Isabelle agreed sympathetically.

“Diving into the action before I get a chance,” Buffy nodded solemnly, “such a show off…”

“He’s got this whole ‘look how cool and bad I am’ thing going on,” Isabelle concurred.

Buffy shrugged. “It’s kind of sexy,” she said with a fond smile. “ _Very_ annoying…but sexy. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Yeah, well…eep!” Isabelle’s face turned bright red when she realized that just been caught fantasizing about Spike in front of his mate. “I-I mean…” she stuttered.

Buffy laughed. “Don’t worry about it,” she insisted. “I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Oh?”

“He’s got this thing about Slayers,” Buffy rolled her eyes. “I suppose I started it… Well, anyway, he likes to flirt with them.”

“You don’t get jealous?” Isabelle said in disbelief.

Buffy shrugged. “I know he loves me,” she said sincerely. “Plus,” a wicked smile crossed over her lips, “I haven’t stopped flirting with hot vampires, either, so I guess we’re even.”

“That’s cool,” Isabelle nodded. “Hey, I’d better be…” She gestured to the door.

“Go on,” Buffy said. “I’ll keep him undusted if I have to stake him to do it.”

Isabelle laughed. “Oh, by the way,” she said from the doorway. “I’ve been trying to find Nicky, but he’s not in his room. Do you know where his girlfriend lives?”

“Nicky has a _girlfriend_?!” Buffy exclaimed in disbelief.

Isabelle nodded hesitantly. “I thought I heard…” she began. “Maybe I was wrong, though.”

“If Nicky had a girlfriend,” Buffy said assuredly, “I would definitely know about it.”

“Well, thanks then,” Isabelle said, before closing the door behind her…

* * *

“Most of the trick will be getting the information we need out of people without them knowing what we’re up to,” Ajaya explained. “It will require a great deal of subtlety.”

“Sure,” Isabelle shrugged disinterestedly.“I can do subtlety…”

* * *

“Hey, Alex,” Isabelle walked into the game room.

“Yeah?” he looked up from the shot he had lined up on the pool table.

“Are you complete and utter scum that double-crossed everyone by betraying SCBI to the Watcher’s Council?” she asked matter-of-factly.

“What?” he said in disbelief. Then, his expression darkened when the meaning of her words stuck home. “How _dare_ you—!” he began.

“Never mind,” she cut him off with her sweetest smile. “I should have known you’d be too hotheaded to give any answers.” And with that, she stalked out.

“Irritating kid,” he grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes for the benefit of the two vampires that had been their conversation with interest…

* * *

“Did you hear that?” Ajaya repeated. “ _Subtlety_. It’s the only way we’ll get these people to tell us the truth about their friends and family.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Isabelle looked bored.

* * *

“Wow,” Ajaya shook her head. “You’ve been doing this since you were _fourteen_?!”

Dawn shrugged and took another sip of her tea. “That’s what you get when your sister’s the Slayer.”

“Must’ve been tough,” Ajaya smiled sympathetically. “I mean, I bet you wanted out all the time.”

Dawn laughed. “Actually,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “I wanted in. All I ever really wanted to be was a demon hunter. Buffy used to try to keep me out of the action, but eventually even she had to give in.”

“So, then, SCBI’s like your dream come true?” Ajaya commented.

“Pretty much,” Dawn agreed.

“And your kids and grandkids get to continue in the family business,” Ajaya smiled. “I bet Monica wanted to be a demon hunter all her life, too.”

“No,” Dawn shook her head, “she’s actually only been with us for three years now.”

“Three?” Ajaya said in disbelief. “But she’s second-in-command and all…”

“She advanced very quickly,” Dawn nodded proudly. “She’d never had any combat training before.”

“How’d she manage that?” Ajaya asked curiously. “I mean, growing up around all of you…”

“She didn’t really get to spend any time with us before she joined up,” Dawn answered.

Ajaya raised a curious eyebrow.

“My eldest son, William,” Dawn began, “had this obsession with having a normal life. He estranged himself from the rest of the family shortly after he married. I’d only actually seen Monica twice when she was very young before she showed up on our doorstep three years back.”

“Why’d she do that?” Ajaya inquired.

Dawn frowned. “She’d been bitten by a were-jaguar. She was afraid to tell her father, so she ran away. He hasn’t tried to contact us yet.”

“But you told him, right?”

“Monica finally did,” Dawn nodded. “I’m not really on speaking terms with my son. I don’t even know his number.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ajaya said thoughtfully…

* * *

“The hardest thing for me to figure out,” Ajaya commented, “is why anyone who has family here would want to do it.”

“Avoid annoying reunions?” Isabelle joked.

“We’ll have to find out what other passions they have, what could possibly be worth putting their loved ones at risk…”

* * *

“Oh, hi, Ajaya,” Aida said, opening the door at the sound of the knock. “Please, come in.”

“Thanks,” Ajaya flashed her a grateful smile.

“So,” Aida said, attempting to force back the tears that were so obviously in her eyes, “what can I do for you?”

“Actually,” Ajaya said, “I kind of wanted to check up on Lily, see how she’s doing…”

“That’s sweet of you,” Aida sighed. “She’s still a bit…out of it,” she confessed.

“Can’t you and Willow just cure her?” Ajaya wondered. “A bit of magic and Tada!”

Aida grimaced. “Healing spells involve redirecting life force,” she explained. “It’s too close to dark magic for us to even try it…especially Willow.”

“Oh?” Ajaya raised an inquiring eyebrow.

“Willow has to stay off anything approaching dark magic for life,” Aida explained. “Some nasty addiction problems when she was younger…”

“I’m sorry,” Ajaya blushed. “I didn’t know.”

“That’s all right,” the old Witch assured her. “She made the right choice, turned down the Council’s offer of absolute power and everything.” Aida gave her a conspiratorial wink. “She’s actually quite proud of the story. I’m amazed she hasn’t cornered you and made you little to it in excruciating detail, complete with sound effects.”

Ajaya laughed with her.

“I does mean that Lily will just have to heal on her own time, though,” Aida reflected sadly.

“Lucky thing she wasn’t in the medical wing,” Ajaya commented off-handedly.

Aida nodded. “I’ll say,” she agreed. “I said she just needed to be back in her own room for a good rest… Thank the Goddess she agreed with me!”

“Is she awake?” Ajaya asked.

“Yes,” Aida said, “but she’s not seeing anyone outside of me and Willow at present. She needs to build her strength and all…” She gave Ajaya an apologetic smile.

“That’s cool,” Ajaya hastily insisted. “You’ll tell her I stopped by, though?”

“Of course,” Aida agreed.

“And…” Ajaya couldn’t come up with a good segue, so she just chose to switch topics, “how are you doing?”

“Been better,” Aida admitted. “This is all so terrible. So many people we’ve known for so long…”

“How long have you been here?” Ajaya asked curiously.

“Oh…nearly thirty years now, I think,” Aida tried to recall. “I ran the magic school for quite some time before that, though. Will finally managed to talk me into the merger.”

“How’s that working out?” Ajaya inquired.

Aida sighed. “Well, we’re kind of more in the background now,” she admitted. “Demon hunting takes precedence over education…but it also gives students the rare opportunity to work with actual demons. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more dangerous…”

“But the students are kept out of the lines of fire, right?” Ajaya’s brow furrowed.

“If they want,” Aida shrugged. “Those that want to go ahead and join up…” She trailed off.

“Can’t be so bad,” Ajaya pressed.

Aida shook her head and forced a wry smile. “I’m probably not the most objective person on this topic as of late,” she replied. “One of my top students died in combat last year…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ajaya said apologetically.

“He had great potential as a Warlock,” Aida agreed, “and then…he was just gone. And now after what’s happened to Lily…” She shook her head. “I’m beginning to think of moving the school back out again. Especially after this last attack.”

“At least the students were out on break at the time,” Ajaya said thoughtfully.

“Thank the Goddess again,” Aida agreed…

* * *

“Hey, Isabelle,” Willow looked up from the computer monitor in front of her.

“Hey,” Isabelle smiled. “How’s the arm?”

“Better,” Willow touched the bandages and winced slightly.

“Watch it,” Isabelle advised. “You’ll just make things worse.”

“I know,” Willow sighed. “I know better than to try to use it.” She flashed Isabelle a conspiratorial grin. “Doesn’t meant I won’t, though.”

Isabelle laughed. “Anything I can do to help?” she volunteered.

“Well, you could help me connect all these cables,” Willow gestured to the tangled mass at her feet. “It’s kinda impossible with one arm.”

“No prob,” Isabelle began hooking the wires up in the way indicated. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“Putting failsafes into the security system,” Willow explained, “so that this can never happen again…”

“Probably a good idea,” Isabelle agreed soberly. “So,” she said in a brighter tone, “can I ask you something completely and utterly shallow?”

“Go ahead,” Willow chuckled slightly. “I think I need some shallowness after all the life-threatening peril.”

“Spike and Buffy,” Isabelle began. “How long have they been together?”

“Ugh,” Willow struggled with her memory. “Fifty-four years?” she asked herself. “Fifty-four years,” she finally nodded in agreement. “They’ve known each other for a little over sixty, though.”

“It wasn’t love at first sight then?” Isabelle grabbed a wire stripper to try to get the connection to work.

Willow laughed. “Oh no,” she giggled, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, “more like _hate_ at first sight…”

“Huh?” Isabelle looked up.

“They were archenemies for a while,” Willow explained. “Slayer, vampire, that sort of thing. Plus, Spike used to have this little obsession with killing Slayers…”

Isabelle’s eyes widened with surprise and alarm.

“He’s over it now,” Willow brushed aside her concern with a wave of her hand. “But, oh, were they a match made in hell…” she said fondly.

“So, what happened?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“Much fighting, and hurt, and frantic kissing, and hurt, and cheating on each other, and more hurt,” Willow sighed. “And then one day, Buffy’d finally had enough and set out on an all-out campaign to seduce him back to her side forever… They’ve been together ever since.”

“So, she was the aggressor?” Isabelle clarified.

Willow shook her head. “They kind of switched back and forth in that role over a few years. In the end, though… Buffy was really the one that finally had to cave in.”

“He’s hot,” Isabelle shrugged. “What’s there not to cave in over?”

Willow threw her head back with laughter. “I see someone else has been taken in by our local Big Bad’s charm,” she teased.

“Be still my beating heart,” Isabelle said over theatrically, clasping her hands over her heart.

“It would be if you’d met him a century back,” Willow joked…

* * *

“And even though some people may seen perfectly innocent,” Ajaya continued, “there could still be things about them that we don’t know. Try to draw them out on lies and weaknesses. See if the picture they portray of themselves is consistent with what everyone else says.”

“Jeez, I get it already,” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Can’t we just get to work?”

* * *

“Yo,” Isabelle announced as she walked into the garage, taking in the feet that protruded from underneath one of the vehicles there.

“Oh, hello,” Simon rolled out from under the hovercar to look at her. “Isabelle, is it?”

“It is indeed,” Isabelle agreed, hoping up onto a nearby counter.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Simon inquired curiously.

“Actually,” Isabelle took up a pipe wrench from the tool rack and played with it, “I was kinda hoping you could give me the low-down on the Scoobies.”

“Low-down?” Simon cracked a small smile.

“I figured I should get hip to the local lingo,” Isabelle explained, shrugging. “Anyway, I wanted the inside perspective on what it’s like growing up with these people from someone who doesn’t have any ulterior motives for wanting me to stay. Ajaya mentioned you.”

“Who says I don’t have any ulterior motives?” Simon teased lightly. “Keeping around a pretty, young girl who likes to hang out in the garage…”

Isabelle flashed him her best flirtatious smile. “And gets very turned on when people tell her the truth,” she joked back.

He laughed. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Is this whole thing legit?” she asked curiously, snapping her gum.

“As far as I can tell,” Simon shrugged. “I suppose they could always be planning to sell me off to the slave market when I turn forty.” He winked at her.

Isabelle laughed. “So, on the up and up then? Everything’s hunky-dory, and…”

“It’s all kosher,” Simon provided. “Things are pretty much as they seem,” he responded seriously. “The people here generally pretty straightforward about what they want from you.”

“They’re very cool,” Isabelle agreed. “The action’s nice, too. But you probably don’t get to see much of that…” she prodded.

“Thankfully,” Simon shuttered slightly.

“You don’t like doing your part for the good fight?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“I _do_ do my part,” Simon insisted. “This place would fall apart without me.”

“Still, it sucks that you don’t get in on more of the fun,” she commented.

“ ‘Fun’?” he said in disbelief. “You consider running around killing things fun?”

She shrugged. “I’m a Slayer. It’s what I do.”

He turned back to his work, and Isabelle had the sneaking suspicion she’d said something to piss him off.

“That the new Tiger D?” she gestured to a motorcycle in back.

Simon flashed her a broad grin. “A beaut, isn’t she? Customized her myself.”

“Really?” Isabelle batted her eyelashes at him playfully. “Don’t suppose I could…take a ride…?”

* * *

“So,” Ajaya commented off-handedly, “it was probably lots of fun growing up here, huh?”

Monica smiled nostalgically and nodded.

“What with all the demons and vampires and witches,” Ajaya pressed, her brow furrowed slightly.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Monica agreed. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“Yeah,” Ajaya giggled nervously and hoped it sounded like mirth…

* * *

“Finally, try to draw out as much information as you can,” Ajaya said. “It may be difficult, but we have to learn everything about our suspects as we can.”

Isabelle looked at her askance. “Are you done lecturing yet?” she teased.

* * *

Ajaya slid into the chair across from Xeris and set her plate down before her. He didn’t respond to her presence in any way, instead focusing intently upon another one of those strange Jell-O mold things. She watched the unusual form of sustenance change color several times while she consumed her sandwich.

“Does that…taste good?” she finally felt compelled to ask.

Xeris looked up at her in surprise. “I did not know that you were here,” he said in a solemn tone that might have passed for apologetic.

“No big,” Ajaya brushed it off. “You were busy occupied with…that thing.”

“Yes,” Xeris nodded and then returned to his practice of catching the little marshmallowy things within it with his tongue.

“So, er…does it taste good?” Ajaya repeated her question.

“I already answered that,” he informed her coolly.

“No, you didn’t,” Ajaya frowned.

“I did. I said ‘yes’,” he explained simply.

“Oh,” Ajaya mentally regrouped to plan her attack another way. She didn’t seem to be thinking along the same wavelengths as the Velik Demon at all. “So,” she turned to the sympathetic tactic, “how are all those Velik Demons that were trapped in the warehouse?”

“Fine,” Xeris responded dully. His tongue flicked out to catch a glowing purple thingy.

“That’s good…” Ajaya added hesitantly. “I was really sorry to hear about that nurse that died.”

“Yes,” Xeris agreed.

Ajaya sighed and debated giving up. She obviously wasn’t getting anywhere.

Xeris abruptly looked up at her. “I’m sorry,” he began, “were you trying to start a conversation?”

“Uh…yes,” Ajaya nodded in disbelief.

He frowned slightly. “It’s so difficult to tell with you humans,” he shrugged.

“It is?” Ajaya asked incredulously.

“You are so…indirect,” Xeris said, frustrated. “You never just come out and say what you mean.”

“Sorry,” Ajaya said sheepishly.

“You wish to discuss something?” Xeris inquired, good-naturedly enough.

“Well, yeah,” Ajaya agreed readily, “how about how you came to work for SCBI?”

Xeris nodded gravely. “Four thousand years ago in a dimension three removed from this one, the T’Liff defeated the Veliks in a great battle,” he began.

Ajaya propped her head up on one elbow. She had the feeling this was going to be a _long_ story…

* * *

“Ah, the elusive Nicky,” Isabelle said, coming up behind the blond vampire and tapping him on the shoulder.

“How you holding up?” he asked, giving her a welcoming smile. “And don’t call me ‘Nicky’,” he tacked on out of habit.

Isabelle shrugged. “All right, considering.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, removing the water from the kettle as it boiled. He quickly poured it into his mug.

“Vampires drink _coffee_?!” Isabelle asked incredulously.

Nicolas frowned. “A bad habit I picked up from Spike,” he said sheepishly.

“People seem a lot better today,” Isabelle commented, sitting on the countertop.

“We’ve gotten pretty resilent over the years,” he shrugged, taking a sip. “Nothing like this has ever happened before, though…”

“It’s terrible,” Isabelle agreed.

“Truly.”

“You must be pretty freaked,” she commented, swinging her feet back and forth in the air.

“Oh?” he looked at her curiously.

“You were almost dust,” she clarified. “If you’d been in the drawing room when the windows went…”

He nodded soberly. “Good thing I’d just woken up,” he agreed.

“Things like that are creepy,” Isabelle shivered, “knowing you could’ve been dead if something had gone just slightly differently…”

“It’s best not to dwell on it,” Nicolas agreed.

“I guess,” Isabelle shrugged.

Nicolas sensed her somber mood and decided to lighten things up a bit. “So, have you found the single vamp for you yet?” he teased.

“Nope,” Isabelle flashed him a mock-seductive grin. “You’re absolutely _sure_ you’re not available…?”

“Sorry,” he smiled back.

“Who is she?” Isabelle demanded. “I’ll defeat her in manly…er, _womanly_ combat for you.”

“Not telling,” Nicolas said with a sly smile.

“C’mon, _please_?” Isabelle implored him.

“My lips are sealed,” he insisted.

“You’re no fun at all,” she pouted…

* * *

“You’re late,” Isabelle commented when Ajaya finally returned to their room.

“A word of advise,” Ajaya responded, “never, _never_ get Xeris started talking. He never shuts up. I just spent the last four hours hearing every single detail of his life, his ancestors’ lives, his people’s lives…”

“So, do you know if he did it?” Isabelle inquired.

“Not sure yet,” Ajaya frowned. “Let’s put together everything we found out and then see what we’ve got…”


	16. Chapter 16

“So, let’s revise,” Ajaya said, pulling her chart out from under the bed. “You wouldn’t even _believe_ some of the stuff I came up with.”

“Bet I gotcha beat,” Isabelle retorted with a small smile.

“Right then,” Ajaya nodded. “Let’s go. Fletcher, I had.”

“If it was Fletcher, we’d all be dead by now, of course,” Isabelle commented, flopping on the bed beside Ajaya.

“New acronym,” Ajaya agreed. “WBMD – Would Be More Dead… Of course, that assumes his motivation is the complete destruction of SCBI…”

“What else would it be?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“Well, I got this weird idea when I was talking to him,” Ajaya began. “He seemed to be pretty anti-Watcher. It could have been a front, of course. But what if he was doing this to get rid of the Watchers once and for all? He could kind of be playing both sides against each other to get the Watchers to do something grievous enough that we could declare war and wipe them out for good.”

“And lose all those lives?” Isabelle said in disbelief.

Ajaya nodded solemnly. “Despite the cuddly British insecurity, he’s a commander above all else. And all commanders know that sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the cause.”

“You think he would be so callous?” Isabelle considered the idea and frowned.

“I think it’s nearly impossible to tell who would be that callous,” Ajaya countered. “For all we know, the Big Brass here could have had this planned all along.”

“I bet the Watchers would fall for it if he pretended to be a traitor,” Isabelle agreed. “That gives a similar motivation to Buffy, too. I couldn’t come up with any other reason she could have done it.”

“But she saved my life!” Ajaya protested. “The Council would have known—”

“The Council didn’t know that she was the one who saved you, did they?” Isabelle retorted. “She wore a mask. Maybe there was a second reason she wanted to conceal her identity…”

Ajaya frowned. “I still don’t think Buffy did it,” she finally sighed.

“Neither do I,” Isabelle agreed, “but you’re the one who said we have to list all possibilities.”

“Right,” Ajaya nodded and filled out the row next to Buffy’s name. “Who’s next? Willow.”

“I interviewed her, but I didn’t get much,” Isabelle said sheepishly. “Other than the fact that Lily conveniently wasn’t in the medical wing.”

“I got some stuff from Aida,” Ajaya informed her. “It’s seems when Willow was younger she got into Black Magic.”

“You’re kidding?” Isabelle exclaimed in surprise. “ _Willow_?”

Ajaya nodded. “Pretty bad, too, from what I could gather. She had to give up all her powers and everything for a time.”

“And that _worked_?” Isabelle asked incredulously.

“Apparently,” Ajaya shrugged, “but get this: the Watchers’ Council once offered to _restore_ Willow’s powers in return for her siding with them.”

“And?”

“She refused, of course. But she was still young then,” Ajaya pointed out. “She might have thought she would eventually find another way…”

“Which she hasn’t…”

“Hence, increasing desperation….”

“You think she’d take the offer now?” Isabelle suggested.

“It’s a possibility,” Ajaya decided.

“And _all_ possibilities get listed,” Isabelle said with a wry smile. “Do we really need those last two names on the list?”

“Yes,” Ajaya pouted.

“Fine, fine,” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “What about the rest of our Witches?”

“I couldn’t get in to see Lily,” Ajaya related her experience. “Aida wouldn’t let me in.”

Isabelle’s brow furrowed. “She wasn’t injured that badly,” she pointed out. “She walked out of the warehouse just fine.”

“I know,” Ajaya agreed. “So I don’t quite know _what’s_ going on there. It seems kind of suspicious, though…”

“What about Aida?”

“This is good stuff,” Ajaya said excitedly. “Aida never wanted to merge the school with SCBI; it was Willow’s idea.”

“So?”

“So, now she wants to separate them again. A student of hers was killed in the line of duty last year,” Ajaya explained. “She wants an excuse to move the school out.”

“And blowing up SCBI is the way?” Isabelle looked at her askance.

“Think out it,” Ajaya countered. “ _All_ the attacks have occurred while the school’s out. Plus, I got Aida to admit that _she_ was the one who moved Lily from the medical wing.”

“OK, that’s starting to look a bit more promising…” Isabelle agreed hesitantly. “Is this separate from the Willow Theory, or a part of it?”

“Not sure,” Ajaya frowned. “It could go either way, I suppose.”

“A family united in crime,” Isabelle joked.

Ajaya nodded. “What about that Warlock you saw helping Willow and Aida out with the spell to lower the shield? Find anything out about him?”

“He was in the personnel database,” Isabelle said, “but not a Warlock, no, no.”

“What then?” Ajaya asked curiously.

“A magical familiar,” Isabelle explained. “From what I could figure out he only exists in this dimension when either Willow or Aida summon him here for magical purposes.”

“One of them could use him for their cause,” Ajaya said thoughtfully.

“But he’s not a suspect in and of himself,” Isabelle agreed. “However, speaking of the personnel database…”

“Yes?” Ajaya raised a curious eyebrow.

“You know how we really couldn’t find anything against Spike?” Isabelle continued to tease her.

“Yeah, _and_?” Ajaya was obviously growing impatient.

“Well, he’s in the personnel database,” Isabelle drew her explanation out even longer.

Ajaya scowled at her. “Are you going to tell me, or should I just read the database myself? ‘Cause right not I’m thinking that would be faster…”

Isabelle leaned forward conspiratorially. “Guess who the only previous traitor in the company records is?”

“ _Spike_?!” Ajaya exclaimed in disbelief.

Isabelle nodded. “Right after he joined up. Formed a secret alliance with the evil of the time, tried to lure members to their death, and everything.”

“You’re kidding me!” Ajaya’s eyes were still open wide.

“And guess who used to be the Big Evil himself?” Isabelle continued. “Guess who’s killed three Slayers?”

“Really…” Ajaya frowned.

“His rap sheet practically reads like a Future-Traitor-Of-SCBI to-do list,” Isabelle continued. “It _was_ pretty long ago…before he was mated to Buffy…”

“But you think he would still do it?” Ajaya pressed.

Isabelle nodded. “He seems pretty pissed,” she explained. “I don’t think he really likes that Buffy is spending all this time here. From what I gather, they kind of have their own lives together away from all this, and I think Spike really wants to get back to that.”

“To the point of destroying the organization she’s created?” Ajaya demanded.

Isabelle shrugged. “He’s done all kinds of crazy shit like this in the past. And he’s one of the few people that wouldn’t feel any remorse over the deaths here – no soul.”

“That’s a myth,” Ajaya countered, “but still…”

“I’d say he’s pretty high up on the list of people Who-Done-It,” Isabelle insisted.

“I thought you liked this guy?” Ajaya said, surprised.

Isabelle sighed. “I do,” she agreed, “but saving me and turning against SCBI aren’t necessarily contradictory things to do. Plus, haven’t you seen the movies? It’s always the cute one.”

“We are _not_ putting that on the chart,” Ajaya insisted.

“Fine,” Isabelle said with a little grin.

Ajaya finished. “Ack! We’re jumping around out of order!” she exclaimed in horror. “We haven’t done Dawn yet.”

“That was you,” Isabelle said, lying back against the pillows. “What did you brilliant interrogation skills reveal?”

“Nothing,” Ajaya said guiltily. “I couldn’t come up with anything for Dawn. She loves working here. She loves the people. She saved all our lives when she pulled us out of the warehouse…”

“Can we cross her off the list, then?” Isabelle inquired.

“Not yet,” Ajaya shook her head. “We might come across something later. She was, however, a good source of information on Monica.”

“Who we _also_ don’t have anything on,” Isabelle sighed.

“Maybe,” Ajaya gave her a sly smile. “Except that I don’t think Monica _is_ Monica…”

“Huh?”

“She didn’t grow up here,” Ajaya continued. “Did you know that?”

Isabelle shook her head.

“Neither did I,” Ajaya agreed, “and when I commented on it, she practically flat out and lied to me, saying that she did.”

“Really?” Isabelle said in disbelief. “Monica? She seems so honest…”

“And check this out: no one had seen her since she was a little kid before she showed up a few years back. And no one’s bothered to verify her identity. _Anyone_ could have come up to the gates and said ‘Hi, there! I’m your long-lost granddaughter. Give me all our most sensitive secrets.’ She could _easily_ be a Watcher spy.”

Isabelle’s eyes widened. “That’s…scary. These people aren’t anywhere near paranoid enough.”

“Or maybe we’re _too_ paranoid,” Ajaya sighed. “It’s just a theory.”

“It’s a good one, though.”

“Yup,” Ajaya scribbled a few more notes on the chart. “What about Alex?”

“He’s an asshole.”

Ajaya rolled her eyes. “That’s not really a good motivation,” she countered. “Did you find out exactly who he blames for his parents’ deaths?”

“Er…” Isabelle suddenly found something on the ceiling fascinating.

Ajaya braced herself. “Please tell me you didn’t pick a fight with him?” she pleaded.

Isabelle focused intently upon the drapes.

Ajaya flinched. “You said you handle interviewing him,” she accused.

“But he’s just so easy to provoke!” Isabelle protested. “Besides, he’s an asshole.”

“I know,” Ajaya rubbed her temples, “but the fact that he’s so openly expressing his anger might mean that it’s not swelling up inside of him like a raging cesspool of deceit and betrayal.”

“He yelled a little,” Isabelle provided.

Ajaya sighed. “Moving on then… Nicky?”

“Couldn’t get much out of him,” Isabelle shrugged. “He’s a bit cagier than he seems. He _was_ conveniently well away from the sunny windows during the explosion.”

“Anything else? What about his girlfriend? Buffy, of all people, claimed not to know anything about that, and I would have thought they were pretty close…”

“He wouldn’t tell me,” Isabelle frowned, “and I used my most… _persuasive_ techniques on him. For all we know, she could be a Watcher.”

“For all we know, she could be _anyone_ ,” Ajaya sighed. “There are a million reasons to hide something like that…”

“Still, it’s a theory,” Isabelle shrugged. “As long as we’re being extra paranoid…”

“Right,” Ajaya agreed. “Next is…Xeris. _Very_ loyal to his people. More so than to SCBI, for sure.”

“SCBI saved his people, didn’t they?” Isabelle inquired.

“Yes,” Ajaya nodded, “but if, say, helping his fellow Velik Demons contradicted with the best interests of SCBI, I have no doubt which side he’d choose.”

“So, if the Watchers had themselves a few hostages…”

“They’ve got their traitor,” Ajaya finished.

Isabelle thought about it for a minute. “A lot of Veliks have been put in danger by the attacks,” she commented. “One even died.”

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?” Ajaya suggested uncertainly.

“Maybe,” Isabelle agreed. “It’s definitely a theory.”

“Which leaves us only with…Simon,” Ajaya declared.

“Nice guy,” Isabelle said. “Gorgeous bike. He took me for a ride on it. Very cool.”

“And did you find out anything useful while you were consorting with the suspect?” Ajaya teased.

“He’s not at all bitter about not being a fighter,” Isabelle counted off on her fingers. “He was practically raised by SCBI. He’s a diehard pacifist.”

“Doesn’t sound like someone who’s secretly conspiring to blow the place up,” Ajaya commented.

Isabelle shrugged. “He would have know the route the Veliks were taking, being the driver and all… But he seems kinda too out of the main action to be a serious suspect.”

“Still, it’s good we checked him out,” Ajaya concluded.

“Plus,” Isabelle said with a little wink, “he’s kinda cute.”

Ajaya’s eyes widened in shock. “He’s, like, _forty_!” she exclaimed incredulously. “Besides, I thought it was always the cute ones that did it.”

Isabelle laughed. “Maybe not this time,” she joked. “So, all we have left are the last two names… Are you sure we can’t just leave us off?”

“No,” Ajaya insisted.

“But, I _know_ it wasn’t me!” Isabelle protested. “And if it was you…I’m _so_ going to kick your ass.”

“Likewise,” Ajaya agreed with a smile. “But we still stay on. Just to be thorough.”

“Fine, then,” Isabelle said, snatching the marker from Ajaya. “I get to write my own little theories about you, since I can’t trust you.”

Ajaya’s eyes widened when she saw what Isabelle wrote. “Hey!” she exclaimed, outraged.

“It’s in marker,” Isabelle stuck her tongue out at the other Slayer. “What are you going to do about it, huh?”

Ajaya snatched the marker back. “I’ll just write my own theories in,” she huffed. “About _you_.”

“Why, you!” Isabelle screeched when she saw what Ajaya had written.

“Ha, now we’re even!” Ajaya stuck her own tongue out.

Isabelle sulked for a minute before finally conceding the point. “So, what did we learn?” she asked, gesturing to the chart. It looks just as confused as before.”

“Maybe,” Ajaya agreed, staring at it intently for some kind of pattern…

 

 **Who Done It?**

 

 **Name**

|  **Evidence of Innocence** | 

**Evidence of Guilt**  
  
---|---|---  
  
Fletcher Price

| 

WBMD; philosophical differences with Watchers’ Council; loses power

| 

Used to work for Watchers; perhaps wants war?  
  
Willow Rosenberg

| 

Strong family ties; injured; daughter injured

| 

Previous addiction to Black Magic; Watchers offered to restore powers; Lily not in med wing during attack; in it with family?  
  
Aida Doogan

| 

Strong family ties; daughter injured; White Witch

| 

Wants to separate school from SCBI; pulled Lily from med wing before attack; attack occurred while school was in recess; revenge for lost student?  
  
Dawn Salvatore

| 

WBMD; strong family ties; lifelong dream to work here

| 

Unknown  
  
Buffy Summers

| 

WBMD – esp. Ajaya; strong family ties; founder of SCBI; mate injured

| 

Perhaps wants war?  
  
Spike

| 

WBMD – esp. Isabelle; family ties; injured

| 

Former history of turning traitor; lack of conscience; wants mate to spend less time with SCBI?  
  
Alex Harris

| 

WBMD; strong family ties

| 

Asshole; angry over death of parents and fiancée; blames who exactly?  
  
Monica Salvatore

| 

Family ties (?); Ajaya irrationally likes her

| 

Caught lying about childhood; may not be who she claims – planted by Watchers as spy?  
  
Nicolas

| 

Maybe Ajaya WBMD; friendship ties

| 

Difficult to get information from – who is secret girlfriend? Watcher, for all we know; not in sunlit area at time of attack  
  
Lily Rosenberg-Doogan

| 

Strong family ties; seriously (?) injured

| 

Not in med wing during attack; impossible to get hold of/injuries not that severe – hiding for a reason?  
  
Xeris

| 

Liberated by SCBI; species known for loyalty; Veliks threatened/killed in both attacks

| 

Loyalty lies with Veliks, not SCBI; would go how far to save people?  
  
Simon Denton

| 

Pacifist; friendship ties

| 

Knowledge of flight plan prior to first attack  
  
Ajaya Gupta

| 

Attacked (?) by Watchers; didn’t have security code; too busy being anal about her science project to do much else

| 

Unknown past – may be spy of Watchers  
  
Isabelle Navarro

| 

Attacked (?) by Watchers; didn’t have security code; one who brought theory of traitor to light; too busy flirting with the undead to do anything else

| 

Used to work for Watchers – may be spy  
  
“Well, that was a great exercise in nothing,” Isabelle complained. “ _Everyone_ did it!”

“It gives us a several viable theories to test out,” Ajaya pointed out. “And,” she added for emphasis, “it tells us that if it ever becomes vital that we go to someone for help, it should definitely be Dawn.”

“Agreed,” Isabelle nodded.

“It’s just hard to know who it could actually be without knowing how far our traitor is really willing to go,” Ajaya sighed…

* * *

“Are you _insane_?!” the static-y image on the viewscreen exclaimed.

Clifford Fitzpatrick looked unconcerned by his ally’s outburst. “We used the information you gave us in the way we best saw fit to further _both_ our causes,” he replied.

“There could have been civilians in the medical wing,” his informant countered.

“But there weren’t,” Fitzpatrick countered.

There was silence on the other end of the screen for a few seconds. “I’ll want more advance warning the next time you strike,” the voice finally demanded.

“Of course,” Fitzpatrick agreed amiably.

“Until next time then.” The monitor shut off.

Fitzpatrick turned to the assembled Watchers. “I fear our ally is a bit more…reluctant than before,” he commented, slightly concerned. He turned to West. “You orchestrated this last attack marvelously.”

“For the cause,” West agreed nervously.

“Yes, of course,” Fitzpatrick agreed. “However, it does mean that I will trust you with another task. Keep an eye on our friend over at SCBI, and at the first sign of betrayal…”

“I will take care of it,” West nodded.

“Excellent,” Fitzpatrick leaned back in his chair and watched the sun set…


	17. Chapter 17

“ALL PERSONNEL. REPORT TO THE WAR ROOM IMMEDIATELY.”

“Who? What? Huh?” Isabelle thrashed about, fighting off the vicious soft cotton foe that had attacked her in her sleep.

“Emergency,” Ajaya responded, quickly tying her long, ebony hair back with a scrunchy. “We have to get to the war room.”

Isabelle defeated her mortal foe with a triumphant kick that sent her falling off the bed sideways. “Huh?” she blinked blearily, giving her sheets one good last shake just to make sure.

“You’re not a morning person, are you?” Ajaya joked wryly. “Get dressed. We have to go.”

“Ugh,” Isabelle groaned, grabbing the baggy sweatshirt from the chair beside her bed and pulling in on over her pajamas. “Too. Early. For. Sarcasm. Where’s. Coffee?”

“No time for coffee,” Ajaya practically bounced up and down in the center of the room, eager to go. “C’mon, get dressed!”

“Am dressed,” Isabelle insisted, slipping on a pair of sandals as she got out of bed. “Let’s get this over with already…”

Ajaya cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “That’s dressed?!” she exclaimed in disbelief, taking in the worn pajama bottoms, lumpy sweatshirt, flip-flop sandals, and tousled bed hair.

“It’s as dressed as I get at six in the morning,” Isabelle countered, shoving Ajaya out the door. “And we _are_ stopping for coffee…”

Thankfully, coffee turned out to be not much of an issue since there were about a dozen pots of it lined up against the wall of the war room. There were also several dozen surly vamps surrounding said coffee, but Isabelle shoved her way right through them with ease. Fortunately, none of them was foolish enough the stand between the Slayer and life-replenishing caffeine for long. Otherwise things could have gotten very dusty very fast.

Fletcher was looking more nervous than usual at the front of the room, quite possibly because of the fact that Buffy had to physically restrain Spike from killing him. She didn’t bother to defend Fletcher from the verbal assault of brutal deaths he would endure once Spike finally got to him, though.

Ajaya couldn’t help but smile sympathetically when Fletcher winced at certain references to the fate of his nether regions.

“Coffee. Good.” Isabelle moaned, downing her first cup in one gulp. She’d at least had the foresight to bring seconds, thirds, and fourths as well. “Hold these,” she handed two of the precariously balanced cups to Ajaya, “and they’re _mine_ so don’t drink.”

Ajaya realized the true peril of her situation and held the tempting beverages out for Isabelle placatingly.

“Is that everyone?” Fletcher was trying to call the meeting to order.

“Except everyone who had the common sense to sleep through the alarm,” Alex grumbled under his breath.

“Right then,” Fletcher ignored his overly irritable companions. “This _is_ important, people,” he silenced the few groups that were awake enough to talk amongst themselves.

“Better be,” Buffy scowled at him and then dodged to the left just in time to block Spike’s latest assault on Fletcher.

“Oh, knock it off already,” Fletcher said to Spike with a weary sigh. “You’re obviously perfectly awake if you’re trying to kill me.”

“Wasn’t my sleep you interrupted,” Spike growl before giving Buffy a lascivious leer.

She rolled her eyes and put her hand over his mouth to shut him up.

Fletcher shuddered slightly at the unwarranted information he’d just received and turned to the group. “We attack at noon,” was all he said.

Silence.

Absolute and complete silence.

And then: “Who’s going?” That was Monica.

“What about treaty violations?” Dawn.

“Do we have permission?” Willow.

“Are we sure this isn’t a trap?” Alex.

“Who stays to watch headquarters?” Xeris.

“Why do we have to wait ‘til noon?” Spike.

“Noon our time or their time?” Ajaya demanded clarification.

“Our time,” Fletcher informed her with a slight bemused smile on his face. “I suggest everyone prepare. _Everyone_ on active duty goes. Meet your team leaders in an hour…at their rooms?” Several nods. “Meeting adjourned.”

And this there was a flurry of excitement and everyone scattered.

“Wait a minute…” Isabelle said, downing the last cup of coffee and finally fully waking up. “We’re attacking…?”

“The Watcher’s Council,” Ajaya tugged her back to their room. “We have to get ready.”

* * *

“Good. You’re on time.” Alex held the door open and ushered them inside.

Xeris and Nicolas were already waiting, although Nicolas didn’t seem much more awake than Isabelle was.

“So now we’re just waiting for Monica and—” Alex was cut off by the sound of low moans from the room above. He swore under his breath.

“Sounds like we’ll be waiting all month,” Nicolas joked lightly, sparing Isabelle a tired smile when she sat wearily in the seat beside him.

“Those two never give it a rest, huh?” Isabelle chuckled at a particularly loud scream.

“At least you don’t have to live beneath them…” Alex grumbled.

“Oh, like you and Nina were any better—” Nicolas began before breaking off suddenly when he realized what he was saying.

Alex didn’t even flinch. Ajaya watched curiously as he noticeably held the reaction back. Still, he didn’t flinch.

The awkwardness of Nicolas’ faux pas was broken by a knock at the door. Alex opened it to let Monica come in.

“Sorry I took so long. I was—” She paused and heard the sounds coming from upstairs. “…Apparently not the last one to arrive…”

“I would call them up and yell at them,” Alex shook his head, “but I doubt it would do any good, so they’ll just have to miss the debriefing.”

“Well, not entirely,” Isabelle joked to Nicolas, trying to cheer him back up.

He put his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter at Alex’s irate look.

The evil glare turned to Isabelle, and she flashed him a brilliant smile. More swearing under his breath.

Then, he managed to compose himself and began. “Lily will not be joining us. She’s still under intense medical supervision.”

Monica frowned. “Still?” she said in disbelief. “It’s been over a week…”

“I’m not at liberty to release the details,” Alex informed her. “However, this means that we’re nearly unarmed magically. As a result, we’re not on the front lines of this one.”

“Oh?” Monica raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. “Buffy won’t like that…”

“That’s Buffy’s problem,” Alex retorted. “We’re holding the outside perimeter along the north side.” He lit up the image of the map of the Watcher’s Council headquarters on the computer screen before him. “We have to hold the checkpoints here, here, and here.” He pointed to the screen. “Anyone tries to get through, we subdue them and hold ‘em prisoner. We should have the muscle power to handle this easily what with the two new Slayers and their…”

“Spike!”

“… _supervisors_ ,” Alex flinched and spoke right through the cry from upstairs.

Monica frowned and looked at the attack plan. “How long have we been working on this?” she demanded, noting the intricacies of the map.

“It’s been a contingency for three years now,” Alex confessed. “Never thought it’d come to this, though…”

“The Watchers have given us no other choice,” Xeris said calmly.

“Still,” Ajaya sighed, “war sucks.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Are we taking the jet?” Monica finally broke the awkward stillness broken only by the sounds of Buffy and Spike above.

“We aren’t,” Alex shook his head. “We’ve got one of the fighters. We’ll head out just as soon as we’re all here…”

Twin screams of ecstasy from above. And then silence.

“Think they’re done?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“I should hope so,” Alex said, frowning at his watch. “We’re going to be late if they’re not.”

They waited for a bit, but the upstairs remained silent.

“They’re coming,” Nicolas commented, hearing the noise of feet on the stairs long before any of the humans.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door only a minute later.

“Sorry we’re late,” Buffy breezed into the room, her cheeks more flushed than any vampire’s should be. Spike merely leaned back against the doorway lazily and watched the group disinterestedly. “Did we miss everything?” she asked apologetically.

“Yup,” Alex agreed with a small smile. “We’re on our way out now. I’ll let you know in the air…”

* * *

“Not another one!” Isabelle complained as yet another stone wall loomed before them.

“Yes, another one,” Spike said with a small smile, leaping to the top with feline grace, “an’ prob’ly another twenty or so after it…”

“Thanks for the pep talk, coach,” Isabelle gave him a mock scowl and joined him at the top of the wall.

Together they leapt back down onto the grassy field on the other side of the wall.

“So we just get to hang out in the English countryside while everyone else has all the fun?” Isabelle finally demanded, panting heavily from trying to keep up with his grueling pace.

“Lovely job, innit?” he said with a slight scowl. “Buffy’s been after these wankers for _years_ , and now she has to sit on the sidelines while all the real action’s goin’ down…? Not bloody likely.”

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked, frowning.

“What I mean is there’s no way she’s jus’ gonna sit this one out,” he informed her.

“But Alex said—”

“Yeah, an’ Buffy’s so good at takin’ orders.” Spike rolled his eyes.

“So she’s going to—?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re cool with this?” Isabelle asked in disbelief.

“’Course I am,” Spike said, giving her a conspiratorial smile, “’cause we’re gonna go help her…”

* * *

“Get down!” Buffy pushed Ajaya’s head back into the ground when an explosion sounded right beside them.

“This was a bad idea,” Ajaya insisted for about the hundredth time.

“I know,” Buffy agreed, a resolved expression on her face, “but, hell, like that’s going to stop me…”

They dove behind another barricade as gunfire riddled their previous position.

“We’re not going to make it,” Ajaya informed Buffy.

“I’d like to see them try and stop me,” Buffy retorted.

Another explosion beside them.

“Well, there you see it,” Ajaya pointed to the melting shrapnel.

“Not even close,” Buffy shook her head. “Look, there’s Gamma Team. We can hook up with them.”

They dashed and darted through the rubble-strewn field, coming up behind the small unit located less than a hundred feet from the front doors.

The D’vorak Demon in charge looked at Buffy and Ajaya’s approach with disbelief and disapproval, but shook it off.

“How close are we to getting inside?” Buffy demanded, diving to the ground beside him, Ajaya close on her heels.

“The mages are working on it,” he informed her, gesturing to the three individuals of various species Ajaya was not familiar with holding hands and chanting.

Buffy nodded and watched the magical battle occurring before them. Streaks of green and red energy exploded in golden sparks as each side threw everything they had magically at the other.

The cadence of the chanting behind them increased in intensity, and slowly a fiery blue portal opened before them, breaking a hole through all of the Watchers’ mystical barriers.

“Let’s move!” the D’vorak in command shouted.

“Once more unto the breach,” Buffy muttered under her breath before she caught hold of Ajaya’s hand and the two of them ran through with no way of turning back…


	18. Chapter 18

Later, when Ajaya tried to recall exactly what had happened as they tried to storm the Watcher’s Council headquarters, she found that everything was a blur. She dimly remembered flying shrapnel – some of which had apparently caught her in the leg, screams – those must have come from the Velik Demon that had been impaled through the shoulder, and lots of blood.

She and Buffy both made it inside relatively unscathed, though, along with a good portion of Gamma Team. The D’vorak in command – Jeren, Ajaya quickly figured out – regrouped those of his squad that had made it through while Buffy bound Ajaya’s leg.

The Slayer turned vampire was quite concerned for Ajaya’s well being, but she shrugged it off, saying that the wound was healing as they spoke. Ajaya wondered in the back of her mind when exactly she’d developed this strong, confident battle persona.

“We’re heading for the control room,” Jeren informed them, his antennae twitching in nervous anticipation. “Hopefully, Theta Team will meet us there, and we’ll be able to attack from both sides. If not…”

The statement didn’t need to be finished. They were all very well aware of the fact that they were trapped on the inside of a magical barrier, all their allies unable to assist them.

The building shook around them as they made their way through the maze of book-lined hallways, but they met no resistance.

“Think they’ve pulled back?” Jeren asked Buffy.

“Either that, or we’re walking into some sort of trap,” she agreed with his caution. “But I’m betting on the former. They didn’t have the advanced warning to plan anything too complicated.”

Ajaya’s immediate thoughts went to the traitor, and she nearly spilled what she knew before biting her tongue. She was debating the pros and cons of revealing her knowledge when they turned a corner and encountered a hallway full of Watcher mercenaries, verifying that it had indeed been a retreat and not a trap.

Buffy, Ajaya, and the whole of Gamma Team dove off to the sides to avoid the in-coming laser fire.

“What do we do now?” Ajaya yelled to be heard over the shriek of weapon’s fire and the resulting explosions. There was no way they were going to be able to break through the line the Watchers had set up.

“Cover your ears!” Jeren shouted at her from across the hallway.

“What?” Ajaya was confused.

Buffy saw what was happening, though. “Cover you ears,” she repeated, grabbing Ajaya’s hands and covering them for her.

Ajaya didn’t question her, grabbing her ears so tightly she couldn’t hear a thing. She saw that all Gamma Team was as well. In fact, the only two people that hadn’t done so were Buffy and an eerily beautiful, pale woman from Gamma Team that really hadn’t been doing much until now.

As Ajaya watched, the strange woman opened her mouth and looked as if she were…singing? She looked at Buffy curiously and saw her friend sniffling slightly at what was obviously beautiful music.

For a second she was tempted to uncover her ears and hear for herself, but Buffy caught this and fastened her hands over Ajaya’s, forcing her ears shut.

The unusual incident only lasted a few seconds, before the woman shut her mouth and gestured that all was clear.

Ajaya uncovered her ears to discover that the sound of fire from the other side had completely stopped. She stepped out into the hallway after Buffy cautiously to find all their opposition asleep.

“Bind them,” Jeren ordered, removing a pair of magical shackles from his belt and putting them around the wrists of the nearest mercenary. “Good job, Siobhan.”

The pale singer merely flashed him a small smile and a slight blush before locking up the mercenary she was attending to.

“Half-Banshee,” Buffy explained to Ajaya’s curious look as they also locked up their newest prisoners of war. “Her voice only incapacitates, not kills.”

“Oh,” Ajaya said softly, “and you…?”

“I’m already dead,” Buffy responded with a small smile. “She doesn’t effect me.”

All the unconscious Watchers were quickly and efficiently bound in the shackles that would keep them motionless until the counterspell was uttered.

The team continued down the hallway, Buffy taking the point and Ajaya right behind her.

“We should be nearing the control room now,” Jeren informed them as he melted the metal elevator door in front of them. “Just one floor down.”

“We’re first,” Buffy informed Ajaya, attaching the rope to the carabiner on her belt and making sure Ajaya did the same. “You ready?”

Ajaya nodded nervously, and then they dove into the black metal conduit below…

* * *

“I suppose it was only a matter of time…” The irritated mage rolled his eyes and gestured for his two compatriots to reform the circle.

Spike scowled at him but couldn’t help a wicked grin from slipping upon his lips when the portal opened before him.

“Run for the building, Lioness,” Spike ordered Isabelle. “’ll jus’ be a minute…”

She really didn’t feel like arguing since things were still exploding all around them…although the fire coming in her direction did seem to be lessening. She ran straight for the door.

She turned back in time to see Spike help an injured Velik Demon back out through the portal and out of the war zone. However, he was at her side again within seconds. It really was amazing how fast vampires could move when they set their minds to it…

“Buffy went this way,” he sniffed the air lightly, gesturing to the door. “They’ll’ve pro’bly cleared the way for us already. You up for a bit ‘f a run, pet?”

“Lead the way,” Isabelle agreed with a devil-may-care grin.

They came upon captives and many blast sites, but it looked like their allies at least had made it through the gauntlet unscathed.

However, when they reached a critical juncture in the hallway, they found that the ceiling had completely caved in.

“Oh, bloody hell!” Spike swore, shoving at a support beam and finding it unmovable.

“What do we do?” Isabelle asked, wide-eyed. “Y-You don’t think they were…under there, do you?” Her voice cracked slightly with worry.

“No one’s under there,” Spike assured her. “No blood. We’ll jus’ have to go around…”

He took off down the hallway in the opposite direction, Isabelle right on his heels. They raced around the corner…to find four Watchers with guns caught completely by surprise.

With a roar, Spike charged right into them, just as they reached their triggers to fire…

* * *

Buffy and Ajaya hugged the elevator wall ten feet to the side of the opening and all the laser fire that was currently shooting into said opening.

Jeren and a human Ajaya didn’t know clung to the ropes further up, swearing at the rather unpleasant predicament they were in. In this compromised position, there was no way for them to take advantage of Siobhan’s powers, and so they were stuck on a level playing field again…or an unlevel one, considering that their only entrance was being constantly riddled with bullets and explosions.

“Go down?” Jeren suggested to Buffy.

She considered it for a second. “Sounds like a plan,” she finally agreed.

Jeren signaled for the rest of his team to remain where they were before he, Buffy, Ajaya, and the human began climbing down, making a wide berth around the opening to the elevator shaft by the control room.

Buffy successfully managed to hook the ropes around a beam on the wall, allowing their natural decent path to remain free from danger.

They jogged back over to the side when they reached the elevator door below the control room, and Buffy took a deep, unnecessary breath.

Jeren moved over and once again melted the door with the acidic secretion from his antennae. Buffy pulled him off to the side and to safety almost instantly, and the four of them waited nervously for a second. Two.

Cautiously, Buffy leaned over to look through the door.

“Clear,” she informed them in a cautious whisper, not wanting to alert any Watchers that may have been around the corner.

They quickly detached from the ropes and took control of the new hallway. Apparently, it really was abandoned since the Watchers were expecting an attack from above, not below.

“So now all we have to do,” the human commented, reloading the power strip in his laser rifle, “is somehow get upstairs without using the elevator…no problem.”

“Do you know any back routes?” Buffy asked Jeren.

He shook his head. “The map Fletcher drew,” he unfurled the paper in question on the table they’d requisitioned, “shows that that elevator shaft is the only way to and from the control floor.”

“What about air ducts?” Ajaya asked.

He antennae, regretfully, deepened their greenish color. “Unfortunately, we don’t have maps of the vents,” he said apologetically. “We’ll have no way of knowing where we’re going.”

“So we’re better off now, how?” the human asked sarcastically.

“Well, for one, we’re not being shot at,” Buffy retorted. “And I think we’re forgetting something very important here, people.”

“What’s that?” Jeren turned to look at her curiously.

“When in doubt, blow something up.”

* * *

Spike had tackled the first two Watchers before they could get off their first shots. Their rifles each went flying from their hands at the force of the vampire’s impact in a way that told Isabelle that he had spent _way_ too much time practicing that move.

The other two took aim at the vampire, obviously not having even noticed her presence.

She quickly informed them of the error of their thinking in a physical way. Two quick shots from her laser rifles, and the rifles flew from the Watchers’ hands.

“You’re—!” one of them exclaimed in disbelief and recognition at the sight of her, but she punched him out before he could finish. The other Watcher she knocked unconscious in a similar way.

She proceeded to bind them with those handy-dandy magical handcuffs they’d all been given plenty of as she watched Spike enjoy struggling with his two assailees _way_ too much.

He was obviously half-throwing the fight just for the fun of dragging it out longer. Otherwise that one Watcher would never have gotten him in the headlock from behind, and the one he was ‘play tussling’ with would have long ago have been rendered unconscious.

“Ahem,” Isabelle coughed loudly, reminding him that they _were_ in a hurry.

He gave her a sheepish look and disposed of his two ‘playmates’ in a heartbeat…if he’d had one, that is.

She waited impatiently while he secured the two unconscious men, hoping for the umpteenth time that this vampire wasn’t the traitor because, damn, what a fine waste of a perfect lickable male body that would be!

Spike seemed to sense her rather ill-timed ogling and gave her a seductive little smirk. “Enjoyin’ the view, Lioness?” he teased.

“Immensely,” she informed him.

He laughed. “Love a Slayer with no shame,” he informed her. “We could use more like you.”

“Our unconscious friends here would disagree,” she pointed out.

He was about to respond when suddenly he froze, his head shooting up into the air.

“What?” Isabelle asked, alarmed, but he raised one hand to quiet her. She watching him silently for a second as he looked around, his brow furrowed.

“What is it?” she finally demanded when he had gone for far too long without explaining himself.

“D’you hear anythin’?” he asked her curiously.

“Yeah,” she said sarcastically. “Lots of explosions.”

He shook his head. “Somethin’ quieter, somethin’ nearer…”

She rolled her eyes and was about to tell him to hurry his lazy – but very cute – ass up when she heard in as well. A slight clanking sound that seemed to be coming _through_ the wall beside them.

“What is that?” she frowned, approaching the wall.

He shook his head and then looked down at the guards. “What were they doin’ here?” he pondered. “We’re nowhere near anythin’ strategic…”

“That we know of,” Isabelle pointed out.

Spike nodded in agreement. “There’s somethin’ here. Somethin’ they were tryin’ to protect…”

* * *

Alex sighed and activated his communicator once more. “Buffy, are you there? Buffy, respond _right now_! I’m getting sick of this, dammit!” He slammed his fist into the dashboard of the plane in frustration.

“All quiet on the Love Birds’ front?” Nicolas commented, watching his friend release an impressive string of invectives, some in languages even he didn’t know. He figured they were probably demon dialects that Alex’ mother had taught him.

“Why don’t they ever follow orders?” Alex complained. “They _always_ do something like this. _Always_! And I even split them up and everything, but no…they _still_ manage to run off into the thick of things!”

“And dragged the Slayers along with them,” Nicolas added.

Alex rolled his eyes. “They’re Slayers. They’re meant to die in stupid ways,” he said a bit bitterly.

Nicolas frowned slightly. “You don’t mean that,” he insisted. “What about Buffy?”

Alex sighed. “All right, I suppose I don’t,” he agreed, rubbing his eyes. “But why did _I_ have to get stuck with the uncontrollable vampires?”

“Tough luck,” Nicolas shrugged. “At least they’re not in the squad.”

Alex nodded and turned back to his communicator. “Rho Team?” he demanded. “Do you have anyone held back in reserve? It seems several of my people have been, er… _incapacitated_.”

Gibberish indistinguishable to anyone less fluent in Standard Demonic than the two men present came from the communicator.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver,” Alex responded. “Take up positions eight and twelve now. And hurry. The Watchers’ defenses look like they’re about to crack any minute…”

* * *

“Ready,” Tyler – formerly ‘the human’ – said, putting the last of the charges in places.

“Get back, everyone,” Jeren ordered, ushering them all out the door. He backed out of the room as well, hitting the detonator before diving under a sturdy metal table beside Tyler and Ajaya.

The explosives that littered the ceiling of the room all blew up in perfect unison, causing the floor of the room above to cave in.

Debris and wounded people fell in through the gaping hole in the control room floor in a frantic, confused cacophony.

“Now!” Jeren ordered.

The four of them rushed up through the hole, just as the rest of Gamma Squad – listening in on Jeren’s communicator – rushed through the elevator entrance.

The fight was over before it had begun, and the Watchers all held up their hands in surrender, allowing themselves to be shackled.

“Tyler,” Jeren ordered, “get back out. Tell them we’ve taken the control room, and there are injured in here. We need to get down that shield so we can communicate with—”

At that moment, his communicator chirped with the first voice from outside the forcefield bubble they’d heard since they entered.

“Jeren, you there?” Fletcher’s voice demanded.

“Here,” Jeren agreed, waving Tyler off of his mission. “We’ve just taken the control room. They are injured Watchers here.”

“We’ll send medics right in,” Fletcher agreed. “Our witches just got the shield down.”

“Have we won then?” Jeren demanded.

“Looks like it,” Fletcher agreed. “But don’t let your guard down just yet…”

* * *

Spike banged on the wall that seemed to be emitting the strange noises. A hollow echo rang back at him.

“There’s a secret room in there,” Isabelle realized.

“We have to get in,” Spike agreed, banging around, trying to find the opening.

Isabelle helped him search, and soon the faux candlestick she grabbed twisted to the side. They both watched as the wall slowly rotated inward on a hinge that was all but invisible when the door was closed.

“Get ready,” Spike said, aiming his laser rifle. “We have no way of knowin’ what’s in there…”


	19. Chapter 19

The door opened all the way, and Spike and Isabelle took aim, and…

Nothing.

An empty corridor greeted them.

Spike cautiously stuck his head in, looking first one way and then the other down the darkened passage. In the distance, he could just barely make out the door of something clattering far down to the left.

“Someone’s in there,” he informed Isabelle, activating the spotlight on his rifle and gesturing for her to do the same.

“Who?” she asked curiously, following him in.

“My bet,” he said, taking off down the tunnel. “This is an escape…”

* * *

“Elizabeth Anne Summers,” Fletcher said with a growl that could easily have rivaled any vampire’s. “What the _hell_ did you think you were doing?!”

Buffy and Ajaya turned to see Fletcher standing with fists clenched, face a deep maroon color. Next to him, Alex looked just as likely to blow a gasket.

“Er, um…” Buffy suddenly felt the need to begin stuttering.

“This is completely unacceptable behavior!” he continued to rant, while Alex stood to the side happy to let the irate ex-Watcher do his thing. “Not only did you defy orders and abandon your post, but you put one of our Slayers in the middle of battle with virtually no combat experience!”

“I was watching her back,” Buffy managed to at least argue with that last argument. “And Ajaya can take care of herself.”

Fletcher shook his head, refusing to even listen to her. “It’s completely intolerable,” he informed her. “You were left outside _for a reason_! If Alex hadn’t noticed you’d abandoned your duties…”

“It was just border patrol,” Buffy insisted.

“Yes, and the last minute replacement Alex called in captured _three_ Watchers trying to escape! Border patrol has a purpose, you know!”

“But Monica was on the next field over!” Buffy continued what was fast becoming a furious debate.

Alex looked Ajaya right in the eye and gestured for her to go off down the corridor a little way.

She gulped and did as he requested, a bit anxious at being so far away from Buffy. Because she _so_ did not want to face Alex at his worst all by herself.

“Are you all right?” he demanded first, checking her over casually for injuries and frowning at the makeshift bandage around her leg.

She nodded nervously.

“You had a duty as well,” he informed her in a deceptively calm voice.

“B-Buffy—”

“Buffy didn’t force you to go with her. You made your own decision,” he replied. “You knew that your position was important, yet you abandoned it all the same.”

“I was supposed to listen to her,” Ajaya protested.

“Yes,” Alex agreed, “but you knew perfectly well that she was disobeying orders and you went along with it anyway. Why?”

“I-I don’t know?” she said nervously.

“Got bored?” he demanded. “Didn’t want to miss out on the excitement?”

“Buffy just assumed I would go with her, and—”

“And what? You didn’t bother to think for yourself?” he shook his head. “I’ve got to say I’m disappointed in you. You’ve shown remarkable skill and judgment up until this point. You were actually starting to earn my respect. I’m sad to see it was misplaced.”

And with that he left her there, gaping, still waiting to be thoroughly chewed out.

* * *

Spike and Isabelle had made it at least a mile underground before the first shot had been fired. They quickly dove to the ground. Unfortunately, a little while back, the nice wooden ground had given way to hard-packed mud ground with lots of puddles.

Isabelle spit out the muddy water that got into her mouth and looked up only to have Spike force her head back down to the ground when several volleys of bullets ricocheted around them.

“You OK?” Spike whispered.

“Fine,” Isabelle insisted, wiping the mud from her mouth once more.

“Good,” he said. “Turn off your light.”

Isabelle did as he asked, while he mirrored her motions. Soon the tunnel around them was pitch black.

“This helps us _how_?” Isabelle asked sarcastically. Lying in a pile of mud being shot at in the dark was not exactly an improvement in her mind.

“Can you see ‘em?” Spike asked instead of rising to her bait.

“No,” she sulked. “I can’t see _anything_.”

“Light?” he inquired. “Real dim. Right down the tunnel.”

Isabelle squinted and _almost_ thought she could make out a slightly less black spot in the darkness. “So?” she asked, turning back to where she could only feel he was.

“I think ‘s movin’ away again,” he commented.

“If you say so.” Isabelle got progressively less enthusiastic the closer she got to mud, she’d long since discovered.

“Let’s go,” Spike said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. “No lights.”

“Great plan,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, disappointed that the action was lost in the dark…although maybe it wasn’t, what with him being a vamp and all… “How exactly am I supposed to see?”

“’ll guide you,” Spike insisted, taking her hand. “Ground’s been pretty level so far…”

Isabelle groaned but followed when he began pulling on her wrist. It was hard to get over her instinctual fear that she was going to fall over or crash into something every second. However, Spike managed to lead her pretty well, stopping to wrap and arm around her waist whenever the ground became uneven.

The dim light ahead was growing closer now, and no more shots were fired, undoubtedly began the snipers didn’t see any approaching lights.

Isabelle could now make out that the bobbing light ahead was a flashlight of some sort, and distant echoes of voices came to her in spurts.

Spike listened intently to the conversation he could clearly make out. Four men, all British, one with the unmistakable pompous voice of Clifford Fitzpatrick, the – unfortunate – current head of the Council.

“Head honchos ‘re makin’ a break for it,” he informed Isabelle in a low whisper.

However, even as they watched, a white square of light opened at the far end of the corridor. Four figures were apparent to Isabelle against the bright background for a second before the door shut again behind them.

“Bloody hell!” Spike swore, turning his rifle light back on and dashing for the door.

Isabelle was right on his heels. They reached the closed metal door at the same time and struggled a bit, trying to open it. Spike got pissed off almost instantly and settled for ripping out the door’s hinges. Together, he and Isabelle managed to pry it open.

They dashed outside to the sound of an engine roaring to life. Spike took off after the retreating vehicle but was forced to drop to the ground when a volley of missiles was shot in his direction.

Quite miraculously – Isabelle thought – he wasn’t hit. She slowly approached him as the vehicle went into hover mode and took off into the sky.

“Fuck!” Spike exclaimed, slamming his fist into the ground.

“Got away, huh?” she asked wryly.

He gave her an annoyed scowl and headed back for the tunnels. “C’mon,” he informed her, “we’d better find out wha’s goin’ on…”

* * *

Nicolas rolled his eyes and covered his ears as the battle continued to rage.

“You _actually_ thought I’d just sit by and watch while everyone else defeated the Watchers?!” Buffy exclaimed in disbelief.

“Of course,” Fletcher scoffed, “how silly of me. Why I ever thought you could show even the _slightest_ restraint is beyond me!”

Monica smiled ruefully at Ajaya as the argument went on and on in the background.

“I’m starting to feel guilty,” Ajaya smiled back nervously.

“Don’t worry about it,” Monica insisted, moving one of the bound Watchers from under a pile of rubble and gesturing for Ajaya to help get him on the stretcher. “This happens all the time.”

“Does it ever work?” Ajaya asked curiously, flinching slightly at the piercing tone of Buffy’s next exclamation.

Monica shrugged and heaved the woman’s feet over, while Ajaya moved her shoulders. “Better than anything else,” she decided. “Buffy picks up things best when they’re, er…loud and obnoxious. No wonder Spike caught her attention…”

Ajaya couldn’t help but laugh.

“And just where _is_ that mate of yours, anyway?!” Fletcher demanded in the background. “There’s no way he’s getting out of this unscathed…”

“Spike?” Buffy asked curiously. “He’s not here. I thought he was with you.”

Fletcher frowned. “But he came in after you…”

Everyone was watching their exchange with some concern now. After all, it was a bit disturbing that no one had noticed Spike’s absence until now.

“Where is he?” Buffy’s eyes widened in panic. “Has anyone seen Spike?”

“Or Isabelle?” Fletcher called out. “They were together…”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Oh, god,” Buffy’s face paled, “they could be hurt, or-or…”

 _Creak._

Everyone froze at the distinct sound of metal bending.

“What was that?” Ajaya ventured to ask.

Monica indicated that she didn’t know, and Alex signaled for her to be quiet.

 _Creeeaak. Bang!_

“It’s coming from…” Buffy began, walking across the room slowly, “…the wall?”

As she said it, a panel of the wall banged outwards, crashing to the floor. Instantly, dozens of laser rifles all centered on the black opening.

“Don’ shoot!” a distinctive British voice called out.

“SCBI here!” Isabelle echoed.

With a sigh of relief, everyone dropped their weapons once more.

Buffy literally stalked over to the small opening and ripped the neighboring loosened panels off the wall, allowing the two lost team members to finally enter the control room.

“What on earth—?” she began before she got a good look at them. Then she burst out laughing.

“Oi!” Spike complained, helping Isabelle out through the hole. “What’s so funny?”

“My god,” Buffy giggled, “what were you two doing? Mud-wrestling?”

Spike shot her a nasty look, causing more flakes of the caked mud on his face to crumble off.

“Oh, poor baby,” Buffy teased, brushing off as much of the mud as she could. “Did you get all muddy?”

He growled and caught her up in his arms, planting a feverish right on her lips. She squealed a bit and batted at him half-heartedly.

“You’re all dirty,” she complained when he finally pulled back.

“An’ don’t you love it,” he teased, nipping at her ear.

“Get a room,” Alex suggested, still helping to wheel the incapacitated Watchers out.

Spike gave him a mock scowl before taking up this excellent advice and leading Buffy out of the control room.

“Try to be reachable!” Fletcher shouted after them, still irate. “We have to clear out as soon as we’re done here!”

But they were already gone.

“Er, uh…yeah,” Isabelle suddenly found all eyes turned on her now that Spike was gone, curious as to the mud and appearance through the wall, “so, you see, we were following these big shot Watcher guys that were escaping through this secret passage, and—”

“ ‘Big shot Watcher guys’?” Fletcher repeated, suddenly concerned.

She nodded. “Four of them. They fled through this tunnel, like I said. A tunnel with mud. Mud that we had to dive into to avoid getting shot, so jeez! Get your minds out to the gutter, people!”

Ajaya couldn’t help but snicker at the fact that Isabelle had actually _blushed_ at all the suspicious looks she and Spike had received at their appearance.

“Where are they?” Fletcher demanded.

“Got away,” Isabelle said apologetically. “Like I said, they were shooting at us…and they had a car.”

“Fitzpatrick, I suppose,” Fletcher sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose, “I didn’t see him among the captives… Very well, Isabelle, help with the clean up. I’ll get a full report from Spike later.”

Isabelle practically fled from what could easily have become a lecture.

“Got caught red-handed,” Ajaya teased as Isabelle approached. “Right, Monica?”

She got no answer.

She turned around to find that the were-jaguar had completely vanished.

“So, what’s up?” Isabelle inquired, helping Ajaya move one of the last of the Watchers.

Ajaya frowned. “Monica…” she began.

“Don’t see her,” Isabelle looked around, missing her point entirely.

“She was here just a second ago,” Ajaya insisted, “right before you said that those Watchers had gotten away.”

Isabelle frowned. “Does that mean that she’s…?” she trailed off.

“I don’t know,” Ajaya’s brow furrowed, “but I would _love_ to know where she’s gotten off to…”

* * *

Monica was back in their jet when they arrived. Isabelle and Ajaya tried their damned best not to look at her suspiciously, but apparently they didn’t entirely succeed because Monica gave them an odd look.

“We all here?” Nicolas asked from the cockpit where he had been constrained throughout the entire battle due to the sun.

“Of course not,” Alex grumbled. “What trip would be complete without losing Spike and Buffy before we can leave?”

“In all fairness,” Nicolas felt obliged to point out, “there was that one time in Moscow…”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Isabelle,” he instructed, “you’re with me. Monica, make sure no one leaves until we get back.”

“Sure thing, chief,” she said disinterestedly, reading a magazine she’d brought along for the ride.

Alex shook his head in desperation and headed out into the rubble-strewn fertile fields of rural England, Isabelle in tow.

“OK,” he asked her, “they probably went some place familiar. So where were the two of you earlier?”

“We _could_ do it that way,” Isabelle rolled her eyes and popped a stick of gum into her mouth, “or we could just follow the sounds of grunts and moans…”

“You can hear them?” Alex listened intently, but still couldn’t pick them up. “You’re lucky _you_ don’t live beneath them…”

Isabelle led the way, and he followed after until even he heard the final cry of ecstasy. Things were silent for a while then. The two of them broke into a light jog and let out a shout of warning before they rounded the edge of a high stone wall.

They found the two delinquent vampires there, still wrapped in a passionate embrace but fortunately fully clothed…or, at least, as fully clothed as could be expected given the circumstances.

“God, you two are worse than teenagers!” Alex complained, grabbing Spike’s wrist and forcibly yanking him away from the former Slayer’s lips.

Buffy panted heavily, still backed up against the wall, her own clothes having now inherited the mud from Spike’s.

Spike scowled and pulled himself free of Alex’ grasp, turning back to Buffy. “Let’s go then, luv,” he said with a small smile.

She nodded and let the arm he extended wrap around her waist as they headed back to the jet. Alex and Isabelle followed behind them, lest the wayward couple make a break for it again.

“They’re not shy about the PDAs, are they?” Isabelle joked lightly when she was sure that the two vampires were far enough ahead – and too absorbed in each other – to listen.

“Overcompensation,” Alex shrugged.

“Huh?”

“They kept it secret for so long that now they _have_ to, er…go at it in public to prove that they’re not ashamed,” he clarified.

Isabelle would have sworn that a rosy color tinged his cheeks over the stuttered word.

“Hey, go with what’s fun,” she replied with a feline smile.

He raised one eyebrow and then ran to catch up with Buffy and Spike before the Sexcapades, Take Too-Many-To-Count, could start…


	20. Chapter 20

Ajaya was ravenous by the time they returned home – or, at least, to the temporary home they were borrowing from the Devonshire branch of SCBI while they cleaned up the loose ends of their attack on the Watcher’s Council.

It was a medium-sized two-storey brick building with not nearly enough space to host the two squads that had been left there. Fortunately, they didn’t plan on staying for more than a few days while Fletcher fixed up the paperwork with the British government…and hopefully tracked down the Watchers that had escaped.

Fortunately, Monica was just as starved as she and Isabelle were and led them directly to the kitchen. It wasn’t really more than a standard-sized kitchen in your everyday home, and it got to be pretty damn funny watching virtually all of Beta and Gamma Squads trying to cram into the little room, all seeking the fridge simultaneously.

Jeren finally called for a halt to the chaos, his antennae twitching deep blue in irritation. Complicated instructions for obtaining food in an orderly manner followed, and Ajaya, Isabelle, and Monica slipped out of the crowded kitchen, having already built their sandwiches.

They sat in the large sitting room that had been labeled the ‘women’s dorm’ during their stay and occasionally helped with rolling out the seemingly endless supply of sleeping bags Alex brought in between eating and discussing the mission.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone this?” Monica leaned into them conspiratorially, casting a nervous glance over to where Spike and Alex were arguing about something in the hallway.

“Zipped lips,” Isabelle agreed, making the gesture.

Ajaya nodded as well.

“We did a count of all the Watchers we captured,” Monica began, “and it wasn’t even _half_ of what we expected.”

“The Watchers were not all there, then?” Ajaya inquired, her brow furrowing slightly.

Monica nodded grimly. “What we got was mostly just the hired help. The core of the Council, they all got away…”

Isabelle and Ajaya exchanged a furtive look, both thinking the exact same thought: _the traitor_ …

* * *

“What do we do?”

It had taken Ajaya and Isabelle almost a day to find some time to talk alone together, and they’d been growing progressively more tense as every time they tried to discuss their suspicions, another suspect would just ‘happen’ to enter the room. They knew they were growing a bit paranoid, but it was hard knowing that someone in the small house might be planning their demise right now…

“We _have_ to find out who it is,” Ajaya insisted, glancing nervously about.

“And we had _so_ much success with that earlier…” Isabelle retorted sarcastically, fingers idly playing with a lock of auburn-highlighted hair.

“I’m hoping our weakness is our enemy’s weakness,” Ajaya said.

Isabelle gave her a classic ‘huh?’ look.

“The traitor will be having as much difficulty trying to contact the Watchers as we are trying to plan,” Ajaya explained.

“Unless it’s one of the Witches, who are living it up in the comfy, spacious mansion back in New York,” Isabelle countered.

Ajaya frowned. “We have to check on them,” she decided, “make sure they’re not up to anything…”

“Yeah,” Isabelle sighed, “we’ll just take off and say ‘bye, guys, we’re off to accuse your friends of mass murder…’ That’ll go over _real_ well…”

Ajaya rolled her eyes. “No,” she said in annoyance, “I’ll manage to hook a ride with Dawn next time she comes over, tell her I left my science project back in New York, and—”

“Ha!” Isabelle exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger in Ajaya’s direction. “I knew it! This is all just a clever scheme to get your homework done!”

Ajaya couldn’t help but laugh. “You got me,” she confessed. “This whole thing was just a diabolic plan to distract attention from myself while I worked on my engineering project.”

Isabelle gave her a mock-suspicious look. “Wouldn’t put it past you,” she teased.

“Right,” Ajaya giggled slightly, “so I’ll go back and make sure our Wiccan friends aren’t up to something…”

“…While I manage to simultaneously follow everyone, making sure they’re not sending secret messages to the Watcher’s Council. Sure, no problem, I can be in fifteen places at once.”

“Just don’t let anyone be alone for too long,” Ajaya advised. “It shouldn’t be too hard given how we’re all packed together like sardines and all… Plus, you’ve got all of Gamma Squad to help you.”

“What? You want me to tell them about the traitor?” Isabelle asked in disbelief.

“No, of course not,” Ajaya shook her head, “but we’re pretty sure they’re not involved, so you don’t really have to worry about them. And you can use them to make sure that no one in Beta Team’s alone…”

“Tyler,” Isabelle said in a mock-sweet voice, fluttering her eyelashes, “can you help me find Xeris? _Pretty_ please?”

Ajaya laughed at the way Isabelle had gotten the easily-enamoured human under her thumb in less than an hour. “You’re getting the idea,” she agreed. “And, while I’m gone,” she added as an afterthought, “why don’t you try to _really_ question Alex?

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Do I have to?” she whined. “He’s just going to scream at me like a big baby.”

Ajaya gave her a stern look.

“Oh, fine… And you’re not going to get so buried in your books that you forget about frantic, little ol’ me?” Isabelle demanded.

“Promise,” Ajaya agreed. “I’ll try to take off as soon as possible. Hopefully, I’ll be back by this evening.”

“Good luck,” Isabelle said quickly when she heard someone open the door to the basement laundry room.

“You, too,” Ajaya agreed, giving Alex a quick little smile as she bounded up the stairs past him…

* * *

Hitching the ride with Dawn had been easy, especially since she really was eager to finish up her project despite Isabelle’s teasing.

She frowned when she realized that she only had another week and a half before the new semester started. Getting involved in firefights sure took up a lot of valuable study time. She might have to amend her schedule to graduate in two years and move it up to two and a half. That wouldn’t cut into her grand plans too much since she was already two years ahead, and she could keep up the slaying while she was at it…

It struck her odd for a moment that it didn’t even occur to her to give this lifestyle up anymore. Actually, to tell the truth, she had never had more fun in all her life. For the first time ever she had a good friend, she was comfortable in social situations, she was finding herself to be a competent leader and fighter, she actually had a _purpose_ in life… The list just went on and on. She absentmindedly wondered when being the Slayer was something she _wanted_ to do, rather than something that had been forced upon her.

Her mind came back to focus on the topic at hand when she reach her and Isabelle’s room, however. The metal grates that covered the window were now up and some of the debris had bee cleared up; apparently things were getting back to normal at SCBI HQ.

She quickly grabbed her project, a few data pads she needed for reference, and checked under her bed to make sure that their suspects chart hadn’t been found. It was still hidden securely among the bedsprings.

With that, she made her way up the stairs to Willow and Aida’s suite, hoping that Lily was still there. She considered it a great personal failure that she hadn’t managed to interrogate Lily earlier and fully intended to remedy the situation.

There was no response to her soft knock. She knocked again, a bit more loudly this time. Still no answer. She looked back and forth down the hallway to make sure no one was watching before she tried the knob. It turned easily in her hand, and she slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind her.

The living room of the suite was empty, and she quickly affirmed that the kitchenette and Willow and Aida’s room were as well.

That left one door unopened – the one the Witches wouldn’t let her enter before…

Slowly, she turned the knob, feeling a telltale click that indicated the door was locked. She paused for a minute, debating the pros and cons of breaking through the lock. There would be no way to cover up that _someone_ had broken in, but it was about time that the mystery that was Lily’s disappearance was solved…

Her hand returned to the knob, and with a super-strong twist, the door opened.

Ajaya looked inside the room for the first time and gasped…

* * *

“Washing the mud out of your uniform?” Alex inquired casually as he set down his own laundry bag, together with a small book bag.

“I’m still going to kill Spike for pushing me into that puddle,” she agreed, getting up from her position atop the vacant washer and sitting down on the opposite end of the old sofa from his book-bag. “What’s your excuse?” she asked curiously.

“In order to maximize the value of laundry detergent, as well as save on buying excessive clothing, it’s necessary to do laundry exactly every two and a half weeks,” he informed her.

She gave him an odd look.

“Someone I knew once calculated it all out for me,” he explained sheepishly.

“And you brought your _laundry_ with you in order to keep the schedule?” Isabelle asked in disbelief.

He had the decency to blush. “It’s sort of…in memory…”

“Of that other Slayer?” Isabelle asked curiously. “What was her name?”

“Nina,” Alex said in a weak whisper. Then his voice returned to normal again. “No, it was my mother.”

“You still follow your mother’s laundry instructions?” Isabelle couldn’t help but tease. “How cute…”

He scowled at her. “I’ll have you know that only a fool would question Mom’s financial advice,” he said smugly. “It’s been over a year since she… _left_ and her investments are still paying off.”

“Huh,” Isabelle commented, “guess who didn’t get the commonsense in the family.”

Alex’ brows lowered into a scowl, but to Isabelle’s surprise, he didn’t blow up at her. Instead, he turned back to the washer, shoving the rest of his clothes inside and setting the machine. “Mom had enough commonsense for all of us,” he said simply.

Isabelle blinked at him in confusion for a minute. This wasn’t the Alex she’d deeply regretted getting to know for the past week. His reactions were unexpected and made her oddly uncomfortable.

He turned back to look at her. “Sorry.”

And now Isabelle _knew_ that an alien imposter had taken over Alex’ body. “W-What?” she stammered, completely dumbfounded by his behavior.

“Right before the Watchers attacked,” he clarified. “You were right. I was out of line. There was really no way you could have known…”

“Damn straight, I was right,” Isabelle scowled, coming back to herself once more. “Where do you get off yelling at complete strangers like that, anyway?” she demanded.

His eyes narrowed. “Oh, like you have _any_ idea of what I went through when they died,” he retorted.

“People you love die, sadness and loss, yadda-yadda-yadda,” she shrugged. “It’s not you have a monopoly on grief or anything.”

“I’ll have you know—!” His face turned bright red again before he cut himself off mid-rant. “I was _trying_ to apologize,” he finally said in a quiet, sulky voice.

Isabelle suddenly felt guilty. “Er, yeah…sorry about that. Apology accepted and all,” she added nervously. Then she sighed in frustration. “This is the most dysfunctional conversation ever,” she decided. “Do you want me to just go? ‘Cause it would be a hell of a lot easier…”

Alex looked up at her in surprise, then quickly looked away again, staring intently at his bag as he dug through it. “Uh, sure,” he agreed, “if you want to, I mean…”

He sounded strangely hurt. Isabelle studied him intently with her hands on her hips. “All right,” she finally declared, “who are you, and what have you done with Alex?”

He flashed her an annoyed look and then proceeded to ignore her, flipping through the book in his lap.

Isabelle couldn’t resist the urge to peek over his shoulder and see what it was. After all, it wasn’t all that common to see actual books anymore now that most everything was digital…

“Pictures?” she asked in surprise.

He looked up at her, startled, obviously having assumed that she’d left him alone. “Yeah?” he countered defensively. “What of it?”

“Why do have hard copies?” she inquired. “Major weirdness.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, heaven forbid anyone should keep anything _real_ anymore, anything they can actually hold onto…” he grumbled under his breath, obviously beginning a long-practiced rant.

“Jeez,” Isabelle snapped her gum, “you sound like you’re from the twentieth century or something…”

“I am,” he retorted before pausing to think for a second. “Well, almost,” he amended.

Isabelle laughed. “Yeah, right,” she retorted. “You’re like what? Twenty-five?”

“Fifty-four.”

Isabelle snorted in disbelief. “Just how stupid do you think I am?” she asked sarcastically.

“You really want me to answer that?” he retorted. “But seriously, fifty-four as of last October.”

“Uh-huh,” Isabelle crossed her arms in front of her, a ‘no way am I falling for this’ look on her face.

“Look,” Alex said in exasperation, flipping through the picture book in his lap. “Here.” He presented a picture to her.

She cocked her head to see a young Alex – twelve, tops – sitting between a man and a woman he bore a striking resemblance to, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. Right in the center of the cake, written in bright blue frosting, was the number 26.

She looked back up at him skeptically. “No way,” she insisted.

“I’m half Vengeance Demon,” he explained. “I only age at about half the rate of normal humans. My sisters, too.”

“You’re not kidding me?” Isabelle began hesitantly.

“Cross my heart,” he said with a bemused, lop-sided grin. It brought out the resemblance to the older man in the photo even more.

She nodded absentmindedly. “Those your parents?” she asked casually.

“That’s them,” he agreed, looking at the picture nostalgically.

“Can I see?” she asked nervously.

He gestured for her to sit beside him…

* * *

Ajaya stood perfectly still in surprise and horror for a second before she cautiously entered the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Slowly, almost as if in a trance, she walked over to the sight before her and gasped…

Lily lay in the direct center of the bed, amidst several machines, each making their own little beeping noises. Several needles were in her arms, attached to various medications, and little air hoses had been inserted into her nose.

But all of this was standard hospital patient stuff. What truly terrified Ajaya was the young Witch’s physical appearance. Her skin was white as a sheet, and her lips were tinged slightly blue. Her skin hung loose on her frame, not as if she had merely grown thin, but as if something was draining her from the inside out.

Occasional little black sparks flashed across her skin just before it sank further into her emaciated form.

Ajaya took a shaky step back. This Lily was so _different_ from the strong woman who’d fought by her side against the Magic Drinkers that she would barely have even recognized her. She had never imagined that Lily could really be this weakened from the attack. After all, Magic Drinkers were just supposed to temporarily zap your powers, right?

Ajaya must have made some sound then because Lily’s eyes fluttered slowly open, her vision obviously foggy at first.

“Mom?” she whispered in a weak voice.

“Th-They’re not here,” Ajaya said softly. “It’s just me, Ajaya. Do you want me to get them?”

Lily managed a small smile. “No, that’s OK. I was just wondering…”

“Yeah?” Ajaya reached forward and squeezed Lily’s hand, desperate to offer the ailing Witch some comfort, slight though it was.

“Th-The spell they’re working on for me,” she said, obviously growing tired again. “Let me know when it’s done…”

Her grip on Ajaya’s hand loosened as she drifted back off into sleep. Ajaya gave her one last smile before turning and slowly walking out of the room.

She froze at the door when she saw that it was open again and both Willow and Aida waited outside, looking at her suspiciously.

“Sorry,” she said nervously, stepping out of Lily’s room and shutting the door softly behind her. “I-I didn’t know she was that bad…”

Willow and Aida exchanged a quick look, and then Aida went in to go check on Lily while Willow gestured for Ajaya to sit in the armchair opposite her.

Ajaya fidgeted nervously for a minute, not knowing how to explain what she was doing here.

“No one knows she’s that bad,” Willow finally said, her voice sounding far wearier than Ajaya had ever heard it.

“Wh-What happened?” Ajaya finally ventured to ask.

“The Magic Drinkers,” Willow said soberly. “The Watchers…did something to them. Whatever it was, the drain on Lily’s powers is continuous. A-At first, her powers just weren’t returning, but then…” She broke off abruptly and bit back a tear.

“It’s killing her,” Ajaya realized.

Willow nodded. “Draining her life now, instead of just her magic.”

Ajaya frowned. “They didn’t hurt me,” she commented. “I mean, one of them zapped me, but I’m fine.”

“It’s still only dangerous to magic users,” Willow agreed. “We got the body of one of the ones the Watchers had with them when they attacked… We’re working on a cure.”

Ajaya nodded slowly. “A spell?”

“It’s hard,” Willow agreed. “Most of the magic we try just gets sucked up by the, er… _infection_. But we’re getting there.”

“She’s sleeping.”

They both turned to look at Aida who had just reentered the room.

Willow nodded slowly.

“We don’t want anyone to know that she’s like this,” Aida explained softly to Ajaya. “Not until we find the cure. If the other members of the Coven found out…”

“A lot of them aren’t _that_ brave,” Willow clarified, “and we don’t want to publicly announce it yet. It could destroy the school…”

“The school will be destroyed anyway if the Magic Drinkers get a hold of them,” Ajaya pointed out.

Aida nodded. “If we haven’t found a counterspell by the end of break, I fully intend to shut the school down for next semester. But until then…there’s a chance we could avoid all the troubles.”

“I understand,” Ajaya agreed.

“You won’t tell anyone?” Willow inquired.

“I won’t,” Ajaya assured them, “but I hope you find that spell soon. ‘Cause, honestly, Lily doesn’t look like she’s going to be able to hold out for that much longer…”


	21. Chapter 21

Ajaya didn’t arrive back at the small house in Devonshire until nearly midnight. She’d felt extraordinarily guilty about breaking in on Lily and had made up for it by helping Willow and Aida formulate the medicine that would cure her. Their idea was actually a rather clever one, blending science and magic just enough that the curse of the Magic Drinker wouldn’t counteract its healing properties. Unfortunately, they were working against a ticking clock.

Dawn had quickly transported Ajaya over and then went back home, so Ajaya was left to enter the darkened house by herself.

The lights were out by then, and the stillness of the night was eerily quiet.

Buffy and Spike lay together in the common room, limbs so intertwined that Ajaya had a bit of difficulty telling where one ended and the other began.

There had been quite a bit of a squabble before she’d left as to the two vampires’ sleeping arrangements. Alex had finally caved in and let them be together just so long as they didn’t do anything inappropriate. From the fact that both vampires were fully clothed, Ajaya guessed that they were sticking to their end of the deal.

She moved quietly past them, not wanting to wake the sleeping pair. She slipped into the ‘women’s dorm’ to find the sleeping bags scattered across the floor occupied by a wide variety of creatures, although all of the female persuasion.

Her own bag was empty and right next to where Isabelle was snoring softly in her sleep. She switched quickly into the set of nightclothes from her small duffel bag and climbed into her sleeping bag.

She studied Isabelle’s face for a brief minute, wondering if she should wake the other Slayer up and tell her she was back. This desire increased when she noticed that one other bag in the room was vacant. She mentally did a headcount and quickly figured out who was missing. She frowned for a second and turned back to the other Slayer.

However, Isabelle’s eyes were flitting about rapidly behind her closed lids, and Ajaya decided not to wake her friend’s dreams…especially since they might be prophetic.

As she slowly fell asleep, she had no idea just how right she was…

* * *

 _Isabelle was instantly on her guard as the white light around her faded and she found herself back at SCBI headquarters back during the Watcher’s attack. She was dimly aware of the explosions that went on around her as she wound her way through the hallways, but something distracted her from the chaos around her…_

 _There was something she was supposed to remember…_

 _She opened the door to the Witches’ Temple – the one that had been destroyed in the attack – and found that all the sounds of the attack dissipated the instant she walked inside._

 _She shut the door behind her and took a step towards the large pentagram that was engraved on the black marble floor._

 _Nervously, she looked around, half-expecting someone to catch her here where she didn’t belong, but the room was completely empty except for her and the symbol._

 _She took another step._

 _Just as her foot passed the perimeter of the mark, it happened. She shrieked uselessly when something grabbed her from behind, catching her around the throat. She beat against it with all her strength, but she suddenly felt all her Slayer strength seep out of her. She was helpless against her attacker._

 _It spun her around, and she saw that it was the same animated SCBI uniform from her previous dream – the traitor. It lifted her off the ground so that her head was level with the dark shadow of where its head should be._

 _She increased her struggles, somehow instinctively knowing what peril awaited her._

 _“You are unworthy,” it informed her in a low, hissing voice. “Another will be Called in your place…”_

 _She tried to scream out “no!” but the grip on her throat tightened, and she suddenly found herself choking to death. She kicked frantically at it, but she couldn’t fight against its strength. Slowly, the life slipped out of her…_

 _And then, before her eyes, the end of a stake emerged through the front of the uniform’s chest._

 _It screamed aloud before vanishing in a shower of dust, and Isabelle fell and fell and fell…_

 _And suddenly was caught. She looked up wearily into the eyes of the person who had staked the traitor for her. Brown eyes. Deep, brown eyes. Deep, brown eyes that she had just noticed this afternoon had a particular soulful look to them…_

 _“You’re safe now,” Alex whispered softly, still cradling her in his arms._

 _“You killed it,” she informed him numbly._

 _“Only for you,” he agreed softly._

 _And then she held her breath as he lowered her lips to hers, and suddenly the prophetic aspects of the dream faded away, and it was just the two of them, alone together…_

* * *

“Isabelle!”

“Mmf!” Isabelle clutched her pillow tighter to her as she buried her face in it.

“ _Isabelle_!” Her pillow was snatched roughly from her.

“Huh? What?” Isabelle’s groggy head shot up.

“Jeez,” Ajaya rolled her eyes, “it’s noon already!”

“Time zones,” Isabelle said matter-of-factly before snatching the pillow back up from the other Slayer and wrapping her body around it once more.

“And you wonder why we never got anywhere with our investigation…” Ajaya shook her head.

“You’re not _still_ on about that?” Isabelle groaned in protest.

“Excuse me for worrying about the fact that someone’s trying to kill us all!” Ajaya retorted. “Now, get your lazy ass out of bed!”

“Don’t you have anyone else to bother?” Isabelle complained as she finally extricated herself from the warm tangle of blankets and sleeping bag.

“Nope,” Ajaya said with a smug smile. “Well, actually…yeah, but I need your help bothering them.”

Isabelle groaned. “Aren’t you supposed to be spying on the Witches?” she pointed out, slipping on her freshly-cleaned uniform.

Ajaya’s brow furrowed for a second. “They’re not responsible,” she finally said softly.

“Yeah?” Isabelle said curiously. “How do you know?”

Ajaya bit her lip and shook her head. “I just do,” she replied vaguely.

Isabelle frowned. “You must have _some_ reason,” she insisted. “I mean, just yesterday you were concocting elaborate schemes just to keep an eye on them.”

“I can’t talk about it!” Ajaya exclaimed in exasperation. “I just know that they didn’t do it.”

Isabelle gave her a cold, appraising look and tied the last of her boots.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Ajaya said apologetically. “What about Alex?” she tried to change the subject. “What’d you find out about him?”

“He didn’t do it,” Isabelle said calmly.

“What?” Ajaya looked up at her in surprise. “He was one of my prime suspects…”

“He didn’t do it,” Isabelle retorted, “and _I_ can’t tell _you_ why.”

“Isabelle, don’t be like this!” Ajaya’s cheeks flushed slightly with annoyance.

“Why not?” Isabelle demanded. “You started it.”

“I’m sworn to secrecy!” Ajaya protested.

“Oh yeah? Well, maybe I am too,” Isabelle countered.

“Fine, then,” Ajaya said wearily. “Let’s assume we’re both right then. The Witches and Alex are both in the clear.”

“Fine.” Isabelle crossed her arms in front of her, still glaring at the other Slayer.

“I really don’t think it was Fletcher or Spike and Buffy,” Ajaya went on.

“Neither do I,” Isabelle said disinterestedly.

“That leaves only Monica, Nicky, and Xeris then,” Ajaya concluded. “We should focus on them – especially Monica. She was gone last night when I came back.”

“Fine,” Isabelle shrugged, “I’ll watch her today. You take the others.” She proceeded to stalk out of the room.

“Isabelle?” Ajaya halted her just as she reached the door.

Isabelle froze in her tracks.

“I’m really sorry,” Ajaya said sadly.

Isabelle debated stomping right out the door, but somehow she just couldn’t stay mad at the other Slayer. “I had another dream,” she finally said softly. “Alex is going to help me defeat the traitor. That’s how I know he’s innocent.”

Ajaya nodded and gave Isabelle a wan smile. “Thank you, Slayer visions,” she joked lightly.

“Yeah,” Isabelle agreed before she went out to track down Monica…

* * *

Ajaya thankfully found Nicolas and Xeris in the same place because she really had no idea how else she would be able to keep an eye on both of them at the same time.

“I _hate_ the Watchers,” Buffy was scowling, perched in Spike’s lap as they sat back on the couch in the common room.

“Odd that only the Mages should escape,” Nicolas agreed. “Pretty creepy, if you ask me. Makes it seem like they’re up to something no good – of the magical variety.”

“What’s this?” Ajaya asked curiously, taking the vacant seat on the far end of the couch from Buffy and Spike.

“Twerp found the pattern in all the Watchers that escaped,” Spike explained to her. “Seems all the magical gurus got away.”

Ajaya frowned. “Do we know why?”

“Nothing of the good,” Buffy grimaced. “I just hope we don’t all wake up tomorrow transformed into cockroaches or something…”

Ajaya gulped, and her eyes widened. “That could happen?” she asked nervously.

“Not while our Witches are looking out for us,” Nicolas assured her.

“Plus, transformin’ people into cockroaches ‘s harder than it sounds,” Spike added.

Buffy gave him an odd look. “Do I even want to know?” she asked warily.

“You were there,” he insisted. “That business with the Char’oth Demon an’ Red’s magic goin’ all wonky, an’ then Anyanka tryin’ to uncurse us all…”

“Oh, yeah,” she bit her lower lip at the memory. “Not cockroaches then,” she agreed, “but rats! Could definitely try to turn us into rats. Or, ooh! They could make us get engaged again!”

“We’re already married, luv,” he reminded her.

Her eyes widened in horror. “They could make us get divorced then!”

“Slayer,” he rolled his eyes, “you’re annoyin’ me on purpose, an’ I can’t do anythin’ ‘bout on account of all the onlookers.”

She gave him a wicked smile. “Just my revenge for that _stupid_ stunt you pulled back at Watcher’s HQ.”

“ _My_ stupid stunt!” he exclaimed. “You went in first! I was just followin’ after you!”

“And I did just fine on my own, thank you very much!”

Ajaya coughed.

“Er… _Ajaya_ and I did just fine on our own!” she quickly amended. “We weren’t the ones that ended up trapped in a mud puddle with bullets whizzing by our heads!”

“Tha’s ‘cause _you_ had an entire squad of back-up!” Spike countered. “If you’d such stop bein’ such a stuck-up—”

“I am _not_ stuck-up! You—”

Ajaya yawned and ignored the ever-escalating argument between the pair of vampires. It seemed to be their substitute for more, er… _physical_ contact whenever others were around, and she was frighteningly used to it by now.

Xeris and Nicolas looked equally unperturbed by the two and continued discussing the implications of Fletcher’s findings. It quickly became a conversation about the more technical aspects of magic and curses, all of which Xeris was happy to describe in excruciating detail whenever she asked.

She quickly learned not to ask. She felt herself fighting off sleep as the conversation went on and on and decided that undercover work was the most boring thing on the planet…

* * *

Undercover work was the most exciting thing on the planet.

Isabelle had found Monica and Alex on the back lawn, using an open patch of grass as an impromptu sparring mat. She’d watched the two of them knock each other around a bit before they’d finally taken a break and noticed their audience.

“Let me guess,” Isabelle teased, “Alex’ superpower is his ability to fall flat on his ass every time.”

Monica laughed, and Alex scowled at her.

“You wouldn’t last five minutes against me, little girl,” he taunted her.

“ ‘Little’?” she said in disbelief. “I’m almost as tall as you are!”

“ ‘Almost’ being the operative word in that sentence,” he retorted. “Besides, how tall are you anyway? Six feet? Freaks don’t get to make judgements about other people.”

“ ‘ _Freaks_ ’?!”

No force on earth was powerful enough to stop their sparring match after that. Isabelle quickly found out that his Vengeance Demon ancestry gave Alex a bit more than a grumpy personality and twice as many birthdays. She was surprised at first by his strength and speed but adjusted rapidly, moving to block blow after blow.

Actually, they were fairly evenly matched, and by the time Monica called for them to halt for a break, neither had gotten in any decisive hits.

Alex was breathing heavily and trying desperately to look like he wasn’t. “Not bad…for a beginner,” he commented wryly, taking a long gulp out of his water bottle.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Isabelle intentionally waited a few seconds before taking a sip of her own water – just to show that she wasn’t really _that_ tired, “did you want me to stop going easy on you? I just thought I’d do you the courtesy because of your old age and all…”

“Could take you down any day,” he countered, “when you’re done resting, of course.”

“Me?” Isabelle retorted. “I was just waiting for you to catch your breath some more…”

Another rapid exchange of blows followed, and the pair broke apart, carefully assessing their opponent’s next move.

“He always leaves his right flank open,” Monica called out helpfully to Isabelle.

Alex flashed Monica a gesture inappropriate in polite company while simultaneously dodging Isabelle’s punch.

Fortunately, Monica’s little comment had him over-guarded his right flank, and Isabelle managed to take out his vulnerable left ankle.

As he fell to the ground, however, his wrist caught her own heel, and she fell down with him with a yelp. Before she’d even managed to register the hit, she was flat on her back, Alex straddling her waist and pinning her arms with his.

“Gotcha!” he said in delight.

Isabelle gulped. She was uncomfortably aware of every single point where their two bodies met, and it unfortunately occurred to her that his lips were actually not too far above hers. She felt her body respond to his nearness and blushed a deep red.

Alex was still chuckling in victory, but then he noticed her reaction and frowned for a second, trying to puzzle it out. His eyes widened in sudden realization, and Isabelle didn’t think she’d ever seen a man look that scared before.

For one split second, she could have sworn his eyes darted down to her lips, but then he leapt back almost as if he’d been burned.

Isabelle’s mind was still too fogged to really grasp what desperate excuse he’d come up with to flee, and by the time she had the presence of mind to sit back up, he was gone.

And so was Monica.

Isabelle swore at how she’s allowed herself to shirk her duties. After all, while Alex _did_ have a tall, lean, muscular body and fine, nicely-sculpted features obviously inherited from his mother while simultaneously receiving his father’s dark, tanned coloring, not to mention those lickable little dimples in his cheeks whenever he smiled, and… What was she thinking? Oh yeah, it’s not like Alex was distracting enough that she should have lost track of Monica.

 _Yeah, right_ , her inner voice rolled its eyes.

However, now she was presented with a pretty problem: awkward conversation with Alex to try to reestablish the recent, tenuous friendship, or hunt a were-jaguar around the English countryside.

It really was no contest.

She extended her senses and took off in a bit of a run to where they guessed Monica would be. She caught sight of a spotted cat’s tail rounding one of the garden sheds out back just as the rain that had been threatening to fall all day began.

Isabelle approached the dirty window of the little shed and looked in at its occupants through a small smudge in the dirt there. She gasped at what she saw and quickly ran back to find Ajaya…


	22. Chapter 22

“If I didn’t know better,” Clifford Fitzpatrick said with narrowed eyes, “I’d say you were backing out of our…arrangement.”

The static-y image of his unlikely ally on the viewscreen quickly denied the accusation. “There have just been complications lately…”

“Like not warning us in advance of the invasion?” Fitzpatrick commented.

“I didn’t have time,” the traitor insisted. “It was all announced at the last minute.”

“I suppose your earlier warning that we should move the project elsewhere shows at least some reliability…” Fitzpatrick mused.

“The project is all right then?” The voice at the other end sounded relieved.

“All we need is the girl,” Fitzpatrick agreed.

“Now?”

“Now. We’ve waited too long as it is. Sooner or later Price will track us down…and I’d rather it was later.”

“When then?”

“We’ll make the exchange tonight,” Fitzpatrick informed the blurred image. “Just make sure you stick to your part of the bargain.”

“Y-You’ll have her,” the voice sounded a bit nervous, “just so long as _you_ carry through…”

“The deal holds then,” Fitzpatrick said with a small smile before turning the monitor before him off.

* * *

Ajaya yawned. The gesture of boredom had no effect. In fact, no subtle hints of any sort had any kind of effect. Ajaya was becoming rapidly convinced that Xeris didn’t have the deceptive skills necessary to be the traitor. And that was in addition to the fact that his current subject was the top ten thousand reasons he would _never_ betray SCBI…

“…And, thus it was that Fletcher Price’s resourceful leadership saved the entire Setax colony from annihilation,” Xeris concluded story number one-too-many about how wonderful SCBI was. “All of the Veliks liberated were allowed to return to our home dimension, three phases over.”

“Uh-huh,” Ajaya hoped that her disinterested look would clue him in to the fact that he had been talking _way_ too long. It didn’t work. Ajaya cursed herself for the umpteenth time for being too polite to just tell Xeris to shut up for two seconds.

“That was just prior to the Watchers’ attack on the Weresi household, of course,” Xeris segued right into the next in the seemingly endless tales of SCBI’s liberation of the Velik population. “The Weresi’s were an ancient family, stemming far back to the very beginnings of the conflict between the Veliks and the T’Liff…”

If Ajaya had to hear another demon family genealogy, she was going to scream. _Quick, distract him!_ Her mind screamed. _Get him talking about anything else!_

“Why don’t _you_ go back?” she blurted out at random.

Xeris gave her a curious look.

“I mean,” Ajaya hastily explained, “why don’t you go back home, too? Everyone else is. There’s no need for you to stick around here…not that I’m trying to get rid of you or anything!” she hastily amended.

He nodded slowly. “I understand your question,” he informed her.

“Uh…good,” Ajaya paused, waiting for more. It didn’t come. “Aren’t you going to answer it then?” she finally asked when the silence became awkward.

“The answer requires much consideration in order to be phrased perfectly,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Uh-huh,” Ajaya propped up her chin with one hand.

There was a bit more silence.

“I am from a warrior family,” Xeris finally said.

Ajaya waited for him to continue. He didn’t. “And?” she prompted.

“It is the duty of all warriors to repay the debts of war,” he clarified.

“So, your people owe SCBI so you’re helping out?” Ajaya asked.

“That statement is oversimplified, but essentially correct in its basics,” Xeris agreed. “SCBI gave my people new life, so now I owe them mine.”

“Do you take everything this seriously?” she asked curiously.

“I am from a warrior family.”

“Yeah, but…don’t you ever take a break?”

“I am from a warrior family.”

Ajaya sighed. The Velik Demon was starting to sound like a broken record. “You were on the Weresi household,” she prompted him, deciding that the epic stories of his people’s war with the T’Liff was better than trying to get him to improvise in a conversation.

Xeris nodded at the reminder. “The head Weresi house at the time of the First Rift was Kayata the Sixth…”

Ajaya prayed for someone to save her.

* * *

What neither of them realized were the events that had just been set in motion halfway across the globe.

Simon Denton paused for a minute and shut off his acetylene torch to wipe his brow. While the majority of the wrecked wings of SCBI Central had been effectively sealed off against the chill winter winds, a lot of the electrical and heating vents were still exposed.

He had spent the better part of the day here, in the main heating duct that had previously gone into the Wiccan Temple. It now came to an abrupt, jagged end less than a dozen feet away from him, and the opening needed to be closed before the heating bill went through the roof…more than usual, that was. A snowy climate combined with six Pyrals as residents made for a steep enough bill already.

Simon took the opportunity to give himself a brief break, pulling the heated thermos of coffee Willow had prepared for him and taking a deep drink. The warm liquid almost instantly restored the warmth to his stomach. He only wished it would extend down to his fingers and toes as well. Why, oh why, had the Watchers decided to cause major property damage right before the first real cold spell of the year? Only last week he’d been able to ride his bike, and now he was bundled up in a winter parka and _still_ freezing…

 _Clank!_

Simon paused his inward musings at the strange metallic sound. He looked nervously about himself, making sure that none of the damaged infrastructure was in danger of collapsing around him. Everything looked all right. It must have just been the metal shifting in the cold…

He picked up the torch again to resume his work.

 _Clank! Clank!_

He froze. There was that sound again. And this time it had sounded eerily regular…

 _Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank._

The sound continued to pulse in a slow, regular rhythm. Simon tried to place the source and, despite the echoes of the duct, quickly came to the conclusion that it was coming from his left…just beyond where the vent broke off and was exposed to the chill New York winds…

He activated his torch just to make sure. It never hurt to be overly cautious…

He crept slowly toward the weakened edge, trying to make out the source of the sound.

 _Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank…_

It seemed to be getting closer down, almost as if it were moving up the side of the building…

Simon felt the metal shift underneath him and realized that he couldn’t go out any further, or the damaged metal wouldn’t hold his weight.

That meant all he could do was wait to see what was approaching…

 _Clank. Clank. ClankClankClankClankClankClankClank!_

He held the lit torch up before him when it seemed that the whatever should be coming right up through the opening…

And nothing came.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and in that moment he was besieged.

The torch fell from his hand as he was knocked flat on his back. All he caught was the glimpse of something very dark as it passed right over him and seemingly flew down to the other end of the shaft.

He just barely craned his head around in time to check which way the thing went. He blinked for a second. What he _thought_ he saw was one blackened – _tail?_ – something going down each fork in the corridor.

He grabbed hold of the torch again and carefully crawled over to where the think had disappeared. In both directions, there was nothing as far as the light of the torch could see. He nervously reached into his tool kit to find his communicator and report the incident, not knowing that it was already too late…

* * *

“Ajaya!”

Ajaya breathed a sigh of relief to be rescued to Xeris’ latest tale but frowned when she saw a very distressed looking Isabelle.

“I…er, need your help,” Isabelle amended, abruptly noticed Xeris’ presence, “with that project.”

Ajaya nodded in understanding. “Right,” she agreed. “That project… Xeris, I have to go help Isabelle, like, now.”

He didn’t seem offended in the slightest, and Ajaya quickly followed the other Slayer out into the cold drizzle.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

Isabelle’s lips were pressed into a hard line. “C’mon,” she insisted instead. “I want you to see this because I’d really hate to jump to any wrong conclusions…”

“What?” Ajaya was concerned now.

“Follow me,” was all Isabelle said before she led Ajaya out into the winding paths of the garden, the gray sky above them booming as if aware of the importance of this moment…

* * *

“Is that it?” Aida asked anxiously, gesturing to the small pot of bubbling liquid in the direct center of the makeshift pentangle they’d been using since the temple was destroyed.

Willow shook her head. “We did it right, didn’t we?” she turned to their most familiar Familiar that they summoned for all spells of this importance when Lily wasn’t able to help…which she most certainly wasn’t at this point.

He human-shaped spirit nodded mysteriously and gestured to the boiling liquid.

“We’re all good then,” Willow said nervously. “I guess the only thing we have to do is to test it out…”

“If it doesn’t work?” Aida asked nervously.

“It’ll work,” Willow insisted firmly. She reached out for the pot…

And screamed.

Aida watched in horror as a back shadow snatched hold of her wife from behind. Instinctively, she gestured to repel the attacker, but at that moment something leapt upon her back as well.

She herself managed to let out one scream before the shadow surrounded her entirely, forcing its way past her lips and down her throat. The world seemed to fade slowly away to nothing as the black took complete control of her mind…

It was only a second later that Dawn ran into the room, anxiously responding to the sounds of screams. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Willow, Aida, and their familiar all sat stock still within the pentangle, their bodies frozen in unnatural positions of horror.

Cautiously, Dawn crept closer, trying not to look too closely at the screams of pain and horror still on their faces. And that’s when she noticed it.

Aside from their positions, they all looked entirely normal, except…

Except their eyes. Through the open lids, the shadow looked back out at the world.

Dawn ran for help.

* * *

Ajaya gave Isabelle an odd look and opened her mouth to speak, but the other Slayer shushed her and gestured for her to move over to the window. Ajaya looked through the small hole in the paint, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Monica sat with her back to them, staring at the blank monitor before her, her shoulders slumped. Across the rickety old table from her, Nicolas sat with his arms folded on the table, apparently discussing something very serious with her.

Ajaya frowned when she couldn’t make out anything more than their muffled voices through the window. She turned to Isabelle and mouthed ‘door?’

Isabelle nodded, and they both moved over to the door, listening against the crack and trying desperately to hear the voices over the drizzling rain.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Monica was saying.

“You’re backing out _now_?” Nicolas countered. “The worst part’s already over.”

“That’s debatable,” she argued. “You don’t know how he is. He’ll be _extremely_ displeased if I fail him in this.”

Nicolas’ voice was definitely angry now. “You’ve dragged me this far, Monica. You can’t just pull out now!”

“There’s got to be another way!” Monica protested. “This is too hard…”

Thunder boomed in the background, and Ajaya and Isabelle missed Monica’s next words. They turned to look at each other and nodded in mutual understanding…

* * *

Everyone in the Devonshire house stood stock still in shock and horror.

Unconsciously, Buffy’s hand sought out Spike’s, and she held onto him as if her unlife depended on it.

“All of them?” Fletcher asked in stunned disbelief.

Dawn nodded through her tears, her image displayed in the center of the viewscreen. “W-We don’t know what it is yet, but every single Witch… You should have seem them, Fletcher,” she whimpered softly.

“I-I have to get back,” Fletcher said numbly, still trying to absorb that fact that every single Witch at SCBI HQ had been taken out. “We’ll get help…the other units…”

“The attack’s not isolated,” Dawn abruptly shook her head, forcing her mind back to the important matters at hand and not the dead, frightened looks on Willow and Aida’s faces. “We’ve been getting reports from LA, Tokyo, P-Paris…”

Jeren took that moment to run into the room. “The Mages!” he exclaimed in alarm, pointing back into the bedroom-cum-temple he’d just left behind. “They’re—” He froze when the looks on everyone’s faces told him that they already knew.

“A worldwide attack,” Fletcher said in disbelief. “Who—?”

“The Watchers,” Alex said with a furrowed brow. “They did it…”

* * *

Isabelle and Ajaya quickly ran to the far side of the garden, well out of hearing – and seeing – range of the shed.

“Heard enough?” Isabelle asked.

Ajaya nodded numbly. “It’s them,” she agreed.

“Or one of them, and the other’s in on the secret,” Isabelle added. “There was only one attacker in my dream…”

“I don’t think this is time to split hairs,” Ajaya decided. “We have to do something. Now.”

“Great,” Isabelle nodded. “I’m all good with the not letting them try to kill me. So, what do we do about it?”

“We need help,” Ajaya decided. “We need to tell everyone, and—”

“They’ll believe us?” Isabelle asked incredulously. “After all, we’re the newcomers here. They all think of Monica and Nicky as family…”

“We’ve got Slayer dreams; we’ve got the two of them hiding out with communications equipment in an abandoned shack,” Ajaya summarized. “I think we’ve got a pretty good case…”

“Let’s go then,” Isabelle agreed, heading back towards the house.

“Wait,” Ajaya caught her arm. “One of us should keep an eye of them, just in case…you know…”

“They run for it?” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “They don’t even know we _suspect_ them!”

Ajaya frowned. “We’ve been asking an awful lot of questions lately…” she pointed out. “Besides, it can’t hurt to be extra careful.”

Isabelle sighed. “Fine,” she agreed. “I’ll make sure they don’t anywhere; you go get help.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ajaya was worried. “I mean, if your dreams are right, it’s you they’re after…”

“There’s no way _I’m_ going to try to convince the squad that they’ve got traitors in their midst,” Isabelle crossed her arms in front of herself defiantly. “You’re the one who’s been playing Holmes all along; _you_ turn the crooks in to the authorities.”

“You’re not worried…?” Ajaya insisted.

“No. Just hurry, and bring people. Strong people. Get Buffy and Spike,” Isabelle requested.

“Right,” Ajaya nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” And with that she dashed off into the rain and back to the house.

Cautiously, Isabelle approached the shed once more just to make sure the pair hadn’t slipped out during their conversation. She listened at the door for a second and ascertained that two voices were still inside before she sat just around the corner from the door and waited for Ajaya to arrive with the cavalry…


	23. Chapter 23

Everyone was in chaos by the time Ajaya finally burst into Devonshire house. She leapt back against the wall with a squeak when several members of Gamma Team ran past, shouting about Mages and Witches and attacks and the like.

Ajaya’s brow furrowed with concern, and she ran into the living room to find Alex, Buffy, Spike, and Xeris all conversing with Fletcher over the videoscreen that had been set up above the mantelpiece, frantically going over damage reports.

“What’s going on?” Ajaya asked breathlessly, dreading the answer.

Alex spun around to look at her. “Thank god,” he breathed a sigh of relief, “you’re all right. Fletcher,” he turned back to the screen, “we’ve found Ajaya. The Slayers weren’t attacked.”

Fletcher looked relieved as well. “What about Isabelle?” he demanded.

“She’s outside,” Ajaya pointed over her shoulder. “What’s going on?” she asked again.

“ _Someone_ attacked our Witches,” Alex responded. “They’re all in magically-induced comas.”

“Someone, as in the Watchers’ Council,” Buffy growled under her breath.

Spike wrapped one arm around her shoulder and stroked her hair in a comforting manner. “We’ll get ‘em back, Slayer,” he assured her. “Even if we ‘ave to kill every one of those wankers’ Mages to do so…”

Buffy spared him a small, grateful smile.

“Willow?” The implications of what this latest attack meant were just starting to sink in for Ajaya. “Aida?”

“Both out,” Xeris said grimly.

Ajaya’s eyes widened. “Oh god, what about Lily? Sh-She was sick, and…” she trailed off, not wanting to think that the worst had happened.

“Lily was spared,” Fletcher replied. “Whatever this attack was, it was targeted entirely at those with magical abilities. Given Lily’s current…er, handicap, she must not have registered.”

“We have to find out how they did this,” Buffy insisted. “Reverse it right now!”

“We don’t know where the Watchers are anymore,” Fletcher sighed. “We’ve got leads all over the world, but… We have no idea if we’re running against some kind of timetable or what. Frankly, we just weren’t prepared for anything of this magnitude. Even if we do find a counterspell, all of our casters are gone. We’ll have to hire out independents, I suppose, and then…”

Ajaya stopped listening as Fletcher continued to outline what needed to be done in the background. It was now or never.

“I may know a way to find the Watchers,” she said calmly.

Everyone in the room instantly turned their attention to her.

She gulped. “I – _we_ , Isabelle and I, that is – have long known that someone here at SCBI is working for the Watchers in secret,” she began to explain.

“ _What_?!” Alex exclaimed in horror.

“Impossible!” Fletcher said simultaneously.

“Never!” was Buffy’s contribution.

Ajaya stood up to her full four feet eleven inches and tried to look authoritative. “Isabelle has had several Slayer visions,” she insisted. “We’ve been investigating the matter ever since the attack on SCBI Central.”

“A traitor?!” Buffy still wasn’t buying it.

Spike rested his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “People ‘ave their reasons for it, luv,” he reminded her.

She bit her lip and nodded. “Who?” she demanded.

“M-Monica and Nicky,” Ajaya answered nervously.

Stunned silence.

“Uh-uh,” Spike shook his head vehemently, “’ve known Nicky since the day ‘e dug himself outta the ground!”

“And Monica!” Buffy exclaimed. “She’s my niece!”

“No,” Ajaya said calmly, “actually, she’s not. W-We think that she’s a plant of the Watchers. She’s just been _pretending_ to be your niece all these years. And, as for Nicky…I think Monica’s got him under her thumb. I think they’re together, and she’s dragged him into this.”

Buffy laughed. “This is _so_ not the time for practical jokes!” she accused. “And, of course, Monica’s my niece!”

“Do you really _know_ that?” Ajaya demanded. “Before she showed up here, when was the last time you’d seen her?”

Buffy frowned. “I stopped by for her birthday when she was six…” she answered thoughtfully.

“And you’re _absolutely positive_ that the six-year-old kid you saw is the same Monica that’s here today?” Ajaya demanded.

“O-Of course,” Buffy was wavering slightly. “I mean, why would she lie?”

“If she was a spy, she sure would,” Ajaya answered. “Did _anyone_ think to corroborate her story?”

Buffy looked down to intently study Spike’s black-polished nails; Alex began stuttering in disbelief; Fletcher looked thoroughly sheepish and began rubbing hard at his glasses with a small terry cloth.

“I thought not,” Ajaya said quietly. “Now, Isabelle and I just caught Monica and Nicky contacting the Watchers. If we get there fast, the might not have time to erase the log, and we’ll be able to trace their contact.”

Fletcher shut his eyes tight and grabbed the bridge of his nose. “Do it,” he sighed.

“This way,” Ajaya guided them all out into the growing storm…

* * *

“Tell me everything you saw,” Dawn persisted, “even the slightest detail could be important.”

“I didn’t really get a good look at it,” Simon said apologetically. “It just ran me right over. Dark, black…kinda oozy maybe? Like a moving puddle of tar. It didn’t seem to have any real form. And I’m pretty sure it split right in two when it went down the bend.”

Dawn frowned and nodded. “That would explain how the attack was organized so well,” she said thoughtfully. “If one creature divided up and attacked everyone at once…” She turned to the nurse that was attending Lily. “We need to move her out of here. Now.”

“What?” The nurse looked up at her in surprise. “She’s in no condition to be moved. We should wait until after—”

“If we wait until after,” Dawn countered, “this _thing_ , whatever it is, could just split off again and attack her as well. We need to get her away from it first.”

She turned back to Simon. “You go get the van. Make sure its set up to transport wounded personnel.” To the nurse. “You wait here with Lily. Don’t do anything until I get back. I,” she opened the door and stepped outside, “am going to check with Fletcher one last time…”

* * *

“Still there?” Ajaya asked as the group she was leading reached Isabelle.

Isabelle nodded. “They’re inside,” she agreed.

“Good,” Alex agreed. “Isabelle, go back to the house and tell Fletcher that we got them. Ajaya, Xeris, you take the front door. Buffy, Spike, the window. I’ll take the far side just in case they find a way to break out that way.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and moved to their positions.

Isabelle took one last look at the scattering team and ran back to the house. The living room was entirely emptied by the time she reached it, and she made the call to through the videoscreen in peace.

An apologetic-looking Fyarl Demon answered her call. “Fletcher gone,” he said in gruff, overly simplified English. “Help Lily.”

“Lily?” Isabelle cocked her head to one side in confusion.

“Lily sick.”

“Oh,” Isabelle bit her lower lip, “but this is _really_ important. Can’t you just grab him?”

“Fletcher busy with attack.”

“Attack?” Isabelle frowned. “Are we attacking again?”

The Fyarl looked at her like she was a complete moron. “Witches attacked. Witches sick. Fletcher help.”

Isabelle frowned. “When did this happen?” she demanded.

“Just now.”

Isabelle let out a desperate little sigh. “Look, can you just call Fletcher in for a second?” she asked as politely as she could. “This is really, _really_ important…”

“Fletcher not here,” the Fyarl explained patiently. “Fletcher gone. Help Lily. I in charge.”

Isabelle groaned and resigned herself to trying to get the details of the attack from the Fyarl…without any verbs, of course…

* * *

Simon pulled to a halt outside an old abandoned store three miles from SCBI Central. Fletcher and the nurse crawled out the back of the van, rolling out Lily’s stretcher with them, while Dawn and Melissa Harris – who had thankfully been in town for the holidays – clambered out of the front seat, Dawn carrying the small, precious vat with her.

“Let’s get her inside,” Fletcher said calmly, in control like he always was during a crisis.

They quickly set up shop in the deserted back office, and Fletcher had Simon lock up all the doors behind them so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Dawn set about drawing a pentagram on the floor with the practiced ease of one who had long since learned how to set up the precise angles necessary, while Melissa drew the spirit aspects the intended to summon in the four cardinal directions.

The nurse and Simon carried Lily to the center of the circle when they were done before they backed off to the door to watch the proceedings out of harm’s way.

Fletcher nodded, and he, Dawn, and Melissa formed a triangle around Lily’s unconscious body and small, still-bubbling vat.

“You’re sure they were done?” Melissa asked nervously, releasing her pale blond hair for the purpose of the spell.

Dawn grimaced. “I know they were close,” she admitted. “They were working on the final incantations when they were…” She trailed off and sniffed back the lone tear that had fallen onto her cheek.

“We don’t have any other choice but to try at this point,” Fletcher reminded them both. “I need you both to focus on the matter at hand.”

Dawn instantly pulled herself together, and Melissa gave him a nod of agreement.

“The incantation,” he passed copies out to the two of them.

They read it over several times, recognized it as a basic healing chant with some subtle variations, and quickly learned their parts.

“Piece of cake,” Dawn said with a small smile.

“Let’s begin then,” Fletcher nodded, lighting the candles around them.

Simon and the nurse watched well outside the pentangle as the three not-quite-practicing-magicians closed off the circle. They were both familiar enough with this type of thing to recognize when the wards were set up and when helping spirits were summoned.

Dawn and Melissa continued to chant in the background as Fletcher raised the vat before him, the liquid inside now glowing a dim, blue color. The cadence of the voices in the background rose and fell with a rhythm far beyond to two vessels it was being channeled through, and the air seemed to grow thick with sound as well as fire and incense.

Slowly, Fletcher brought the vat to Lily’s lips, her head held up between Dawn and Melissa. He tipped the liquid in, and as if somehow knowing that this was her last chance, Lily managed to open her parched lips to drink.

The room seemed to fall silently as Lily slowly drank down the entire vat. When she was done, Fletcher wiped her lips carefully and rejoined the chant.

Soon, they had dissolved the magical forces they had summoned and broken the circle once more. After getting an affirmative nod from Fletcher, the nurse entered the magical site once more to check on Lily’s vital signs.

“There’s no change,” she said nervously.

Dawn bit her lip. “It might take a while to take effect,” she suggested.

Fletcher nodded grimly. “All we can do now is wait…” he said resignedly.

* * *

With a loud bang, Ajaya kicked the door in. She and Xeris burst inside, just as Buffy and Spike came crashing in through the window to find…

Monica and Nicolas in a rather compromising position.

They both managed to make little squealing noises while scrambling for their clothes, and everyone offered them the brief courtesy of not looking.

“Haven’t you people ever heard of _knocking_?!” Nicolas exclaimed, his face vamped out in rage.

Spike growled right back at him.

“And what exactly were you doing in here?” Buffy demanded. “Besides…you know…” she added, slightly embarrassed.

Nicolas frowned. “What do you mean?”

Behind him, Monica bit her lip and refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

“I mean this,” Ajaya stepped forward and picked up the videoscreen they’d left on the table.

“You’re got just one chance to explain,” Buffy informed them through tight lips, her voice deadly serious.

“What are you talking about?” Nicolas blurted out. “We’re not allowed to have a videoscreen now?”

“I think,” Spike said coldly, “that what the ladies want to know ‘s _who_ exactly you were callin’.”

Monica suddenly looked very nervous, and Nicolas wrapped a protective arm around her. “That’s none of your business,” he hissed, flashing his fangs.

“I’d say it’s very much our business,” Buffy countered, taking the screen from Ajaya. “Whaddaya say we just hit redial here…” Her finger hovered over the button.

“No!” Monica exclaimed, reaching out frantically for the screen.

“Then you admit it?” Buffy said in disbelief and horror. “All this time I trusted you, and you were just _lying_ to me?!”

“I-I thought…”

“What? That you could just worm your way into my family?” Buffy demanded.

“I’m sorry,” Monica began to cry softly.

Nicolas was on his feet in an instant, his chest still bare. “Oh, like _you’re_ one to talk?” he countered. “It’s not like the two of us have done anything worse than you two!”

“Oi!” Spike exclaimed. “That was _completely_ different! No one got ‘urt that time!”

Nicolas and Monica stared at him, blinked, turned to look at each other, blinked again…

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Monica asked nervously. “No one’s gotten hurt…”

“There are several hundred Witches out there that say otherwise,” Ajaya countered.

The accused pair looked truly confused now. “W-Witches?” Monica asked, baffled. “What are you talking about?”

“The Watchers’ Council?” Ajaya provided.

“Watchers?” Nicolas looked equally puzzled. “What do they have to do with us?”

“Y-You’ve been helping them,” Ajaya began nervously, “giving them information…”

“ _What_?!” Nicolas and Monica exclaimed in outrage simultaneously.

“Wait a minute,” Buffy shook her head, “you’re denying this now?”

“Of course, we’re denying it!” Monica’s fury overcame her embarrassment. “You _know_ we’d never do anything like that!”

“B-But you just admitted it,” Buffy insisted.

“Admitted to what?” Monica demanded. “Yeah, I admitted to having an affair with a vampire behind everyone’s back. Yeah, we’ve been sneaking out together and lying through our teeth. But we would _never_ side with those…those _wankers_!”

“The videoscreen?” Ajaya asked, not sure what to think now.

Monica sighed. “Fine, check it if you want. It’s just my dad. Nicolas has been _trying_ to help me get the courage up to tell him. I-I wanted him to know first since…I mean, get the worst over with first, y’know?”

“Then you _are_ the real Monica?” Buffy demanded.

Monica looked at her like she’d just grown an extra head. “Of course,” she said, perplexed, “who else would I be?”

“Oops,” Ajaya said guiltily off of Buffy’s look.

“If ‘s not them,” Spike pointed out to Buffy softly, “then who is it?”

* * *

Isabelle yawned and waited in the living room for SCBI to call back so she could deliver her message to Fletcher. Absentmindedly, she swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the table, kicking at the couch back as she did so.

She _hated_ waiting.

But, fortunately – or unfortunately, she didn’t have to wait long, because at that moment something struck her hard from behind, and then…the world was black…

* * *

The change was so sudden, Dawn didn’t even see it. She had been so busy packing up the tools for their spell that when the hand grasped onto her arm, she screeched and practically jumped out of her skin.

The entire party turned in surprise at Dawn’s exclamation.

The cause of their surprise slowly sat up, shaking her head.

“What’s going on?” Lily asked. “Where are my Moms?”

* * *

Isabelle awoke in a dark dungeon and groaned. “This never used to happen to me _before_ I was the Slayer,” she complained, rattling the chains that bound her.

“Precisely the point,” a voice agreed from the shadows outside the narrow circle of the torchlight.

Isabelle felt a strange shiver of déjà vu creep down her spine at the voice. “H-How did you manage it?” she demanded, confused. “W-We caught you…”

“Caught the wrong person,” the figure slowly materialized from the shadows, so that their form was visible but their face was still in shadow. On the left breast of their uniform were the gold letters SCBI.

Isabelle frowned, and the figure stepped into the light so that she could identify it.

“It-It’s you!” she exclaimed in disbelief…


	24. Chapter 24

“Oh, god,” Isabelle banged her head back against the wall in disgust. “And to think I was actually starting to _like_ you…”

Alex let out a deep sigh. “Look,” he said, his tone oddly apologetic, “it’s nothing personal, really. I just—”

“Knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me!” Isabelle screamed. “How is that not personal?!”

His face hardened. “There was no other choice,” he informed her. “They needed you.”

“So, naturally you just agreed to hand me over,” Isabelle bit out sarcastically. “What can they _possibly_ be offering you to make you do this?! Haven’t you thought about your family? Your friends?”

“My family is dead!” Oops, maybe pissing him off _hadn’t_ been such a good idea… “Those ‘friends’ of mine? They just stood by and killed my family one by one. They took my dad, and then my mom, and th-then Nina! They’re no _friends_ of mine,” he spit out the word ‘friends’ like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “So you’ve had bad luck lately,” she said, just plain _annoyed_ at the whole situation now, “well, boo-hoo for you! _Grow up_ already! These things happen.”

“Th-They took them from me! All of them!” he insisted.

“Who did?” Isabelle retorted. “’Cause from what I heard, it was the Watchers’ Council that killed Nina…”

“The Witches,” Alex hissed. “They started it. T-Took my mom for no reason…”

“Other than she was _ready_ to die!” Isabelle exclaimed. “Jeez, think about someone else’s wishes for once in your life. It’s not. All. About. You.”

His eyes narrowed in anger, but he was quickly distracted when the door to the dungeon opened again.

“Mr. Harris?” a precisely accented British voice spoke up.

Alex turned to face Clifford Fitzpatrick flanked by several others high up in the Council.

“Just having a difference of opinion,” Alex backed off, stepping away from Isabelle.

Fitzpatrick raised an eyebrow as he looked Alex up and down. “Curious choice of uniform,” he commented. “You, of course, know that you can never go back now?”

Alex didn’t comment, looking at Fitzpatrick no less venomously than he had looked at Isabelle.

“A man of your talents,” Fitzpatrick shook his head. “It really would be such a shame to watch them go to waste…”

“You got a point?” Alex demanded. “I carried through on our deal. It’s over.”

“You were pleased with your payment, then?” Fitzpatrick had a wicked little smile on his face that sent chills down Isabelle’s spine.

Alex shrugged. “Revenge is revenge,” he said disinterestedly. “Now, if you don’t mind…” He moved to step out of the room only to find his way blocked. He turned a suspicious eye to Fitzpatrick.

“Just a…precaution,” the head Watcher said innocently. “We really can’t have you leaving the premises until our payment is completed.”

“What?!” Alex exclaimed. “You’ve got her. She’s right there, all nice and gift-wrapped.”

Isabelle shot Alex an icy stare, and his eyes darted away from her abruptly.

“Yes,” Fitzpatrick agreed, “but we can’t have you running back home and telling all your little friends where we are, now can we?”

“I thought you said I couldn’t go back home,” Alex retorted.

Fitzpatrick laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. “If you’ve been forthright with us,” he agreed, “but, quite frankly, Mr. Harris, I don’t trust you. You’re either an exceptionally good liar, or a traitor. And I’ll turn my back on neither. Until we are through with the girl, you are to remain as our…guest.”

“And after?”

“Straight and to the point,” Fitzpatrick nodded approvingly. “I like that. You’re sure you won’t stay on with us?”

“Just answer my question,” Alex demanded.

“Of course, you’re free to go once we’ve guaranteed you haven’t double-crossed us,” Fitzpatrick agreed magnanimously. “After all, what are allies for?”

“Good,” Alex said angrily before slamming the door behind him on the way out.

Fitzpatrick turned to Isabelle, but by now she’d recovered from Alex’ betrayal enough that she was once more on top of her game.

“Gotta say,” she commented, yawning slightly, “dungeon? Right in front of kidnapped victim? Not the best place to plan your master strategy.”

Fitzpatrick gave her an icy cold smile. “Why, Isabelle,” he said with a falsely delighted lilt to his voice, “how we have missed your…spunk. Isn’t that right, Harold?”

Isabelle rattled in her chains in an effort to get at her former Watcher and strangle him when she finally noticed his presence.

“You got the jump on me once,” West’s scowl pierced her to the very bone. “Expect to pay for that, bitch.”

“Excuse me?!” Isabelle said in disbelief. “Who tried to kill who exactly?”

“ ‘It is the Slayer’s duty to sacrifice herself for the cause’,” West quoted. “But, then, you never were very good with your lessons, were you?”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Are you just all going to stand there, looking menacing and making vague threats all day, or are you actually going to do something? ‘Cause, I gotta say, hanging from the wall unconscious a _lot_ more fun than talking to you…”

Fitzpatrick gave her that evil little smile again. “In good time, Slayer,” he agreed. “All in good time.” He gestured for another of the Watchers to step forward.

Isabelle’s eyes widened when she saw the hypodermic needle in his hands and thrashed about in vain. Two of the others held her arm in place as the needle pierced her skin. She bit back a slight grimace – she _really_ hated needles – but then they were done, and she felt no different.

“See?” Fitzpatrick said calmly, holding out the vial of her blood that they’d taken. “No need to panic.”

“Wh-What do you want with me?” Isabelle demanded.

Fitzpatrick looked thoughtful for a minute. “What was it you said again? Ah, yes! ‘Dungeon? Right in front of kidnapped victim? Not the best place to plan my master strategy.’ Honestly, little girl, what do you think this is? Some kind of adventure movie?” He snorted in disgust and turned to leave. The other Watchers followed.

West lingered for a second, though. “Oh, yeah,” he said with a wicked little smile, stroking her hair with one hand, “we’re going to have _tons_ of fun, you and I. Prepare to suffer for your treachery!” And then he was gone as well.

“I thought they were trying _not_ to act like bad action movie villains,” Isabelle said sarcastically, her words echoing hollowly off of the empty room.

* * *

“I don’t believe it!” Monica shook her head in denial. “H-He couldn’t! He’s my _friend_!”

Nicolas cautiously rested one hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a loose embrace.

“Isabelle is gone!” Ajaya exclaimed. “What other explanation is there? Everyone else is still here but Alex.”

“It’s not like you haven’t jumped to the wrong conclusions before,” Monica retorted bitterly.

Ajaya’s expression softened. “I’m _really_ sorry about that,” she repeated for the umpteenth time. “I can’t say that enough. I didn’t _want_ it to be you, but then I didn’t want it to be _anyone_. And when I saw you being all secretive with the videoscreen and all…”

“We don’ have time for this now,” Spike cut off their little sobfest. “We ‘ave to find where Isabelle is, an’ we _know_ the Watchers’re after ‘er.”

“Unless Fletcher’s found something,” Xeris pointed out, “we have no way of knowing where the Watchers are.”

“Or Alex,” Ajaya added.

“M-Maybe something just came up,” Monica suggested hopefully. “They ran off on some assignment or other…”

“Our Fyarl friend doesn’t know of any,” Ajaya pointed to the deactivated viewscreen before them.

“Krullek doesn’t know everything,” Monica retorted. “Maybe something happened here…”

“All the action is right in this room,” Ajaya retorted. “Where else could they possibly have gone?”

“I don’t know,” Monica began crying in earnest. Nicolas held her tightly.

“We need to contact Fletcher,” Buffy finally sighed ruefully, her head in her hands. “Maybe there’s some way of tracking Alex…or Isabelle,” she added off of Monica’s look.

“Think we should check back, luv?” Spike inclined his head over to the viewscreen.

Buffy shook her head. “Fletcher knows we’ve got an emergency over here. He’ll call as soon as it’s physically possible. We’d just be wasting our time, bugging Krullek.”

“Then what do we do?” Ajaya demanded. “The Watchers want Isabelle _dead_. It could already be too late!”

Buffy turned to Ajaya. “And panicking won’t help anything,” she pointed out. “Now, I want you to tell me every last detail of Isabelle’s dreams that you can remember. Even the slightest little clue could be the key to saving her.”

Ajaya looked flustered. “I’ve already told you everything she told me,” she insisted. “I don’t know any more.”

“But, you said Alex saved Isabelle in her dream, right?” Monica spoke up again. “That means that Alex _can’t_ be the traitor.”

Ajaya frowned. “I’m a bit confused on that part myself,” she agreed. “Maybe that part wasn’t a Slayer dream?”

“Did Isabelle say it was?” Buffy demanded.

“Well, yes,” Ajaya conceded.

Buffy nodded. “Then it was a Slayer dream,” she affirmed. “But,” she cut off Monica before she could speak, “Alex’ absence is _way_ too suspicious. At this point, I’m working under the assumption that he’s a traitor, and the rest of you would be wise to do so as well.”

Monica looked about to object but stopped herself, finally nodding grimly that this was a good conclusion to base their actions off of. “That means we have to find them now,” she pointed out. “If the Watchers have her and Alex had turned against her…” She trailed off and shuddered at the possibilities.

“There must be _something_ we can do!” Buffy exclaimed in frustration.

Spike snuck up behind her and kissed her hair lightly to calm her down.

She smiled appreciatively at his efforts. “Alex is the traitor, but Alex killed the traitor,” Buffy frowned. “It’s doesn’t make any sense! Argh! I _hate_ prophetic dreams!”

“Really, luv?” Spike asked softly, considering the matter for a second. “Somethin’ in that… I dunno, it just seems strangely hopeful to me.”

“God, do I hope you’re right,” Ajaya responded worriedly…

* * *

Lily’s mouth set in a grim line as Fletcher finished recounting what had happened while she was ill. “You need to get back,” she finally decided.

“I know,” Fletcher agreed, “but we need to figure out how to save the coven first.”

Lily nodded. “I’ll need some place to work…where I’m not in danger of being attacked,” she began, “and I’ll need a bunch of books from the library and some equipment, and I want Simon to stay behind and look at magical mug-shots.”

Fletcher nodded. “Done. You’d better stay here for now, just in case. Dawn and Melissa can get you anything you need.”

“Just please don’t make me teleport anymore,” Dawn pleaded. “After the past week, I’m beginning to feel a bit dizzy every time I jump.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Lily agreed. “None of this stuff needs to get her in five seconds. Are you up for casting, just in case I need a full circle?”

Dawn nodded.

“How ‘bout you, Missy?” Lily asked.

“I’m good,” Melissa agreed.

“Great,” Fletcher sighed in relief, “at least _something’s_ going right… Melissa, drive with me back to the house. You can get whatever supplies Lily needs and come back. The rest of you, stay here and work this all out.”

Lily was already beginning to pick Simon and Dawn’s brains and didn’t even notice Fletcher’s speech.

“Looks like your work here is none,” he smiled at the nurse as they stepped outside…

* * *

 _Isabelle struggled in vain with the traitor – still, surprisingly, only the form of the hollow SCBI uniform. Then, just like last time, right as the life began to drain from her body, the uniform exploded in a cloud of dust._

 _Isabelle dropped to the ground and scowled up to see Alex before her._

 _“You’re a traitor!” she hissed under her breath._

 _“Perhaps.” His voice sounding strange and echoing in the black nightmare world of her dream. “But you are still alive…”_

 _Isabelle’s brow furrowed. “I-I don’t understand…” she began._

 _“Does anyone really?” he replied enigmatically._

 _Then, before her very eyes, his face changed, demon ridges marring his once smooth brow._

 _“You don’t know me!” he hissed in a guttural demon voice, his teeth snapping at her._

 _Isabelle screamed, and screamed, and…_  
   
 

Woke up, sweating.

“Nasty dreams?” a familiar voice inquired.

Isabelle turned to scowl at him. “Yeah,” she said, “being betrayed and kidnapped will do that to you, y’know.”

Alex sighed and shook his head. “Look,” he began, “I’m really—”

“Sorry?!” she finished for him. “Just forget it. I don’t want ‘sorry’. I want to live my life, dammit! I want to go back to SCBI and—”

“Die in some stupid battle?” he countered. “Is that really what you want out of life?”

“No,” Isabelle sobbed softly, “but I’m the Slayer, and—”

“You’re doomed to die young,” Alex agreed. “It’s not fair, is it? I bet you didn’t even want to be a Slayer.”

Isabelle turned away from him, but the brief look he caught in her eyes told him he was right.

“People like you,” he began softly, “people who _want_ to live… They shouldn’t have to go through this. It’s not fair. You should be allowed to live your life in peace.”

“And this is why you kidnapped me?” Isabelle retorted sarcastically. “Are you so deluded as to think that the Watchers are going to let me _live_?!”

“No,” he said sadly, “but I can’t do anything about that.”

“Sure, you can!” she exclaimed.

Alex continued, ignoring her interruption. “They needed you. They needed you to make sure this didn’t happen to anyone else like you. They’ve found a way to select for themselves. No one like you will ever have to be Chosen again…”

“Yeah, well, I already _am_ Chosen,” Isabelle retorted. “It’s too late for me!”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “and I’m sorry but…in the end, it’s a sacrifice for the better.”

“It’s _my_ sacrifice to make,” Isabelle insisted. “Not yours. You have no right!”

“N-Nina,” he seemed completely oblivious to her presence now, “Nina didn’t want to be Chosen, either. She was so frightened at first. She didn’t want to die. A-And then she was finally starting to get it together. Really building her life, you know? Sh-She was happy for the first time ever, and then all of a sudden…” He let out a ragged little sob. “Sh-She was gone. She died alone, and there was nothing I could do to help her…”

Isabelle bit her lip and looked away from him, barely able to contain her rage.

“She _never_ should’ve been Chosen. _You_ never should’ve been Chosen. I-It’s wrong, and I have to fix it,” he insisted.

“And fixing it apparently involves blowing up a hospital and putting dozens of Witches into comas,” Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“Th-The hospital was a mistake!” he insisted. “They didn’t tell me they were going hit it! It was just supposed to be the Temple. And, as for the Witches,” his eyes darkened, “after what happened to my mother…”

“Yeah,” Isabelle bit back, “it really is a shame that she’s off living happily ever after. She’d be much better off watching how pathetic you’ve become.”

Isabelle’s head flinched to the side at the force of his slap.

“I don’t know why I thought you would understand,” he hissed angrily, before stomping out of the dungeon, leaving her alone in the dark once more…


	25. Chapter 25

When Isabelle awoke after a very uncomfortable night’s (or was it day’s?) sleep, she found that Alex had returned and promptly rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me?” she demanded sarcastically.

He merely grimaced in response. “Not exactly keen on hanging out with all these Watchers,” he finally admitted. “You’re the only on else here.”

Isabelle let out a resigned sigh. “Then you might as well be useful,” she decided.

Alex gave her a suspicious look.

“What?” Isabelle inquired. “You get to use me as a sounding board, but I don’t get anything in return? How is that fair? Especially since you _so_ owe me for the whole kidnapping thing…”

“What do you want?” Alex asked warily.

“Well, knowing where I am would be nice for starters.”

“Why?” His eyes instantly narrowed.

“Because half of SCBI is listening in on the micro-recorder in my boot,” Isabelle retorted sarcastically. “Because I need something concrete to think about,” she finally responded to his annoyed expression, “and I’m sick of thinking about you.”

He almost cracked a smile at that. “Fair enough,” he agreed, obviously amused. “We are in the lovely state of California. About two hours away from LA, little town called Sunnydale.”

“There are _dungeons_ in California?” Isabelle asked in disbelief.

“There used to be a Hellmouth here,” Alex responded. “You’re be amazed at some of the things this town has.”

“Why’d they bring me _here_?” Isabelle wanted to know.

“Secret Watcher’s base,” Alex responded. “Caught me by surprise, too. You see, this is where SCBI was first founded. The Watchers figured no one would _ever_ think to look for them back here, I guess. And they were right, too.”

“Just great,” Isabelle sighed, banging her head back against wall. She though for a moment, then asked, “How many?”

Alex looked at her curiously. “How many what?”

“How many Watchers?” Isabelle clarified. “We took a huge bulk of them out back in England, so how many can there be here?”

Alex shrugged.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “You can stop being paranoid,” she informed him. “It’s not like I’m assessing the enemy troop numbers for when I break out…”

“No, I mean, I don’t know,” Alex shrugged again. “They’re not exactly showing me charts of troop deployment. In fact, I’m rather under the impression that I’m under house arrest.”

“And these are the people you side with?” Isabelle asked sarcastically. “Oh yeah, they’re _so much_ more trustworthy than SCBI…”

“They carried out their part of the bargain.”

“To take out the Witches?” Isabelle snorted derisively. “Think about it. Their numbers are dropping, they no longer have a majority of Slayers…the only chance they _have_ is to attack through magic! Which means they needed the Witches out of the way, anyway. They were only doing it for themselves.”

“Maybe,” Alex conceded, “but I was involved, and that’s enough.”

“You’re warped, do you know that?” Isabelle sighed.

“It’s not warped; it’s vengeance!” he insisted.

“Yeah, whatever,” Isabelle realized that the conversation had turned back to Alex again and let out a weary sigh.

He watched her silently for a moment, the expression on his face unreadable.

Finally, Isabelle spoke once more. “What are they going to do to me?” she asked almost timidly.

Alex sighed. “I honestly don’t know,” he replied, “but, whatever it is, I think you’ve got some time. There’s something else being planned here, something important…”

* * *

“OK,” Buffy said, pointing to the map in front of her, “we’ve got no idea where Alex took Isabelle, so we’re going to use the trial and error method.”

“Oh, tha’s just brilliant,” Spike scoffed. “We’ll find ‘em by the time I’m two hundred, if we’re lucky.”

Buffy favored him with an annoyed scowl. “You got a better plan, wise guy? ‘Cause I’m taking suggestions…”

Spike conceded her point with a tilt of his head.

“All right then,” Buffy nodded, “these are the known Watchers’ hideouts in the area.” She pointed to several red dots on the map.

“I don’t mean to be pessimistic,” Ajaya began apologetically, “but do we even know they’re still in the area? Couldn’t they be anywhere on the planet by now?”

Buffy nodded grimly. “We’ve got every unit across the world on alert,” she said, “but a lot of them have other priorities at the moment.”

“What could _possibly_ be more important?!” Ajaya demanded.

“That apocalypse starting in Korea right about now comes to mind,” Buffy retorted.

Ajaya bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she finally said.

“Don’t sweat it,” Buffy shrugged. “Nicky, you’ll be piloting. Sun picked a hell of a bad time to come back out…”

“I’m fine with it,” Nicolas assured her.

“Good,” Buffy nodded, “we’ll try Surrey first and then go north from there. With any luck, the Witches’ll be getting back to normal sometime soon, and we’ll get a bit of magical help. Now, get ready, people. We leave in ten minutes…”

* * *

“Aha!” Lily exclaimed victoriously as her finger pressed down into the center of the page of the book before her.

Dawn and Melissa both looked up from their own research curiously.

“The Opprimitae were once a ancient race of dark Witches,” she summarized the text. “In the year 511, they were cursed by the last Order of white Egyptian mages. ‘Trapped forever without form, they are mere shadows of beings, doomed for eternity to be powerless to effect the world around them, except…’”

“Except what?” Melissa demanded.

“ ‘Except to render void those like them’,” Lily’s brow furrowed. “ ‘One who has breathed the breath of an Opprimita shall become themself a shadow, another drop in the pool of blackness’.”

“I give up,” Dawn frowned. “What does it mean?”

“I think,” Lily began worriedly, “that it means that if we don’t get the Opprimitae out of the moms soon, they’ll be transformed into them as well.”

“How do we kill them then?” Melissa demanded.

Lily’s finger trailed down the page. “The only way to kill the Opprimitae is to kill the host it has possessed before the transformation has been completed.”

“We can’t kill them!” Dawn exclaimed.

“I have no intention of doing so,” Lily nodded. “Someone is controlling these things, using them. And I’m willing to bet that we can somehow wrest that control away from them.”

“How?” Melissa asked.

“Well,” Lily began, “now we know what we’re looking for exactly. It should help us narrow down our search.”

“I’m up for another library trip,” Dawn agreed, grabbing her purse and keys. “Absolutely everything we’ve got cross-referenced on Opprimitae?” she inquired.

Lily nodded. “For starters.”

Dawn headed back to the mansion on her errand.

“It’s curious,” Lily commented, opening up a fresh book.

“What is?” Melissa inquired.

“First the modifications to the Magic Drinkers, and now controlling the Opprimitae… The Watchers are focusing an awful lot of effort on defeating our magics…”

“We know most of their top Mages are still on the loose,” Melissa replied. “It’s probably just their strongest means of attack.”

“Probably,” Lily said thoughtfully, “but we’re so dependent on magic… We have no idea what vulnerability they’ll play off of next, and we’ve got absolutely no way of counteracting it with all our Witches gone.”

“You’re worried?”

“Immensely.”

* * *

Nicolas landed the small aircraft in southern Virginia, the blackened windows of the cockpit protecting him from the sun’s deadly rays. He cursed the fact that he hadn’t got his own Ring of Amara yet as he watched the rest of Beta and Gamma Teams disembark, Buffy and Spike taking the lead.

Watcher activity had been spotted in an old estate house just outside the small town of Chester, and it was stop number fifteen on their list. To say it had been a long night was an understatement, but no one wanted to rest until Isabelle was found and Alex’ involvement in her disappearance was cleaned up.

As they approached, this latest mansion looked at first to be as abandoned as the rest of them. Buffy quickly indicated that Jeren should take his team to watch the back door while Buffy’s burst in the front.

A strange tingle went down Ajaya’s spine as they approached the door. “Something’s off,” she said softly.

Spike nodded. “Feel it too, Petal.”

“We still go in,” Buffy declared. “That could mean that this is the place…”  
   
 

What they weren’t aware of was that, at that moment, Jeren’s hand had caught hold of the knob of the back door and was slowly turning it…

The sound of the explosion that followed was deafening.  
   
 

Fortunately, Buffy’s team had been almost twenty feet from the house when the explosion occurred. They all ducked for cover as fast as their reflexes would allow, but it wasn’t enough to spare them from all the debris from the exploding house.

Ajaya took several sharp points of glass in the stomach and legs. However, it was nothing too bad given her Slayer resilience. She was on her feet again in a moment.

Spike and Monica had preceded her, both looking a bit dusty, but none the worse for wear.

Buffy shakily rose to her feet a few seconds later. A foot-long piece of metal shrapnel had embedded itself in her right shoulder, and she pulled it free with a wince of pain. Blood bubbled up in the wound, soaking her shirt a dark, sickly brown, and her arm hung limply at her side. But she was obviously still in the battle.

Xeris was a different story. The Velik Demon lay on his side on the ground, the massive gashes on his forehead and gut bleeding a thick navy-blue blood. Ajaya didn’t know what it took to kill a Velik Demon, but if he were a human, she’d have put his chances of survival at zero without serious medical attention.

Barring them from acquiring this medical attention were nine figures on the horizon. The three in the center – and far to the back – of the group wore the distinctive bright robes of Level 10 Mages. The other six Ajaya quickly identified as Watchers’ mercenaries. Only these six seemed to be surprisingly unarmed.

Buffy and Spike exchanged a glance at that, but their questions were answered as the three Mages began to chant.

“ _Confirmate_!” the leader of the circle finally cried out.

Ajaya watched in horror and astonishment as the six mercenaries seemed to grow before her eyes. The muscles on their bodies rippled and expanded, their fingers elongated into sharp claws, and they towered up to ten feet.

“I _hate_ that spell,” Spike complained as the six all rushed them simultaneously with a war cry.

“You three hold them off,” Buffy quickly ordered. “I’ll guard Xeris in case any of them get through.”

“Not gonna happen, luv,” Spike assured her, shifting into game face.

Buffy hoped he was right and shifted as well.

Monica’s pupils narrowed to black slits amid green-gold cat’s eyes, and razor-sharp claws extended from her nails.

Ajaya felt woefully under-armed with just her pike to defend herself. She gulped, and then dodged the first massive swipe as the first of the enhanced mercenaries reached her…  
   
 

Siobhan was the only member of Gamma Team to rise to their feet after the explosion. Having only been half-corporeal at the time of the blast, the shrapnel had harmlessly passed right through her. However, she was still significantly stunned, and it took her a moment to realize what had happened.

With a silent gasp, she saw Jeren lying closest to the blast, his face and torso mangled by broken glass and burns. She ran over to him, completely unaware of the Watchers that approached with laser rifles.

In despair, she collapsed to her knees beside him, her hand reaching out cautiously to stroke his one undamaged antenna. It was an intimate gesture she’d never had the chance to make before, and the fact that he would never know how she felt brought the first tear to her eye in all her life. A second soon followed it, and then a third.

The Watchers surrounded the spectacle of the pale, waif-like woman mourning the wounded demon and prepared to fire, and…

A sound escaped Siobhan’s lips. A desperate sob, followed by a wail.

The Watchers were instantly on their knees, clutching at their ears in pain.

Siobhan’s wails increased in intensity, and she noticed the presence of her love’s murderers for the first time.

Cold, blue, pupil-less eyes narrowed on the weakened men. She slowly rose to her feet, deliberate purpose in her gesture.

“You have brought pain to the bean sidhe,” she said in a musical, lilting voice that was so beautiful it was deadly. “Death shall be your reward.”

The Watchers let out one final cry before their faces went slack and they collapsed on the ground, dead eyes open wide in wonder.

Siobhan returned to Jeren’s side and was amazed to see that his hand had moved slightly since she’d last been beside him. As she watched, his fingers twitched once more, and she barely repressed her yelp of glee when she realized that, despite the horrible odds against it, he was still alive…  
   
 

Ajaya hissed in pain when one of the enhanced mercenaries’ claws ripped into her side. The second mercenary she’d been fending off took the opportunity to slip past her and rush at Buffy.

Ajaya realized that she didn’t have time to stop it, so she turned back to her remaining opponent, clutching her injured side with one hand and stabbing at him with her pike in the other.

He leapt back from her first stab, but then promptly fell for her feint to the left. She took the opportunity to skewer him hard in the shoulder.

The man-turned-magical-beast roared in pain and came at her all the more ferociously, teeth gleaming yellow in the brilliant sunlight…  
   
 

Spike saw the mercenary get past Ajaya just as he ripped the throat out of the first of his opponents. He turned instantly to the second, eager to finish this battle fast so that he could go help Buffy.

However, mercenary number two was a lot better fighter than number one had been.

A strong fist to the jaw sent Spike flying backwards across the battlefield. He crashed right into a tree and felt one of his ribs snap. Had he been human, there was no way he’d be conscious right now.

His opponent was on him in an instant, claws slashing.

Spike barely managed to catch hold of the man-creature’s hands before they sliced his head clean off. The two opponents stood there for a moment, hands locked between them, each using their full strength to try to force the other down.

For a second, they matched each other’s strength perfectly and then, slowly, Spike began to give way…  
   
 

Monica flipped backwards to avoid the rush of one of her attackers and, by the time she landed, was in full jaguar form. She leapt at the throat of attacker number one and sunk her teeth in deep before attacker number two threw her off.

She quickly scrambled to all four feet to see the two of them both rushing her…from the same side, unfortunately.

There was no way she could leap to the side far enough to avoid _both_ of them…  
   
 

Buffy frowned in concern at the chanting Mages well out of the way of the battle. Whatever spell they were casting, it was taking _a lot_ of power.

However, before she could do anything about it, the mercenary that had slipped past Ajaya was upon her. Buffy spun to the right just in time, cradling her injured right arm up against her side.

The mercenary-beast skittered to a halt and turned back around to face her. His face was promptly met by the heel of her boot, and his head snapped back, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Buffy landed three sharp kicks in quick succession before he could recover. The rapid sequence of blows knocked him quite thoroughly out.

Buffy stood over his body and searched for a weapon to finish him off. Unfortunately, hers had been in her hands at the time of the explosion and she’d lost them.

“ ‘Reach for your weapon. I’ve already got mine’,” she quoted before grimacing in disgust. “God, I hate doing this…”

With that, her fangs ripped into the mercenary’s throat, ending his life in an instant.

“Can we say ‘ew’?” Buffy exclaimed, spitting the foul-tasting blood from her mouth.

She looked around to see what was happening around her.

Spike seemed to be caught in a battle of brute force against his attacker. Buffy felt a brief pang of worry when she saw his knees give way, but it promptly turned to a proud smile when he used the opportunity to tuck and roll, his claws slicing the mercenary’s chest open in a lightning-quick maneuver. She should have remembered that his power didn’t lie so much in pure strength, but in speed and finesse.

He instantly turned to her and raised one scarred eyebrow in inquiry when she gestured to the corpse before her.

“What?” she teased. “You think I can’t take care of myself?”

“You’re a bleedin’ menace, luv,” he replied fondly.

He quickly turned his attention to where Monica still faced off against twin opponents. However, she quickly transformed back into her human form and pulled two daggers from her belt just as the pair reached her.

One got a blade straight in the gut, the other in the arm.

Monica winced in pain as one set of claws grazed her side, but undoubtedly she’d come out of the exchange the victor.

Her remaining opponent backed off a bit, eyeing her cautiously, his shoulder bleeding copiously.

Ajaya had her opponent similarly at bay since it was now keeping well back and out of the range of her pike.

“The Mages!” Buffy quickly informed Spike now that the immediate dangers were over. “They’re up to something…”

But even as she said those words, the Mages finished their casting, and a blinding flash of red power entered the chief Mage’s eyes.

“May that which was cast be undone!” she cried aloud. “Janus, lord of beginnings and endings, I besiege you now: end that spell which has been begun! End the magic of…the Rings of Amara!”

As she cried this out, twin lightning bolts escaped from her fingers, aiming directly for Buffy and Spike.

The magical counterspell wrapped itself around the rings on their fingers, all while the bright Virginia sun beat down on them in a very lethal way…


	26. Chapter 26

Fletcher turned off the viewscreen before him and sighed. It was the first moment of peace he’d had in over twenty-four hours, and he knew it wouldn’t last long.

Things were not going well. Isabelle was still missing, most likely taken by Alex. The very same Alex that he’d grown up with as a boy (well, OK, so he’d grown up twice as fast…), who had once been his best friend, who had been unwavering in his loyalty to their mission for every one of his fifty-four years. What on earth could possibly have possessed the man to do something this idiotic and out-of-character?

Fletcher’s mind quickly turned to more pressing matters. The nagging thought that somehow _he’d_ managed to push Alex over to the Watchers’ side would only distract him right now.

The Witches were still no better. Lily was still trapped working in a shed in the middle on nowhere since the Opprimitae would possess her as well the instant she got within range. And now it looked as though all their Witches and Mages would become Opprimitae themselves if something wasn’t done fast.

Dawn’s brief message when she’d stopped by for more books (“We’re working on it.”) wasn’t exactly the most encouraging, either. That meant that they didn’t have a cure yet. And they only had until the Opprimitae took a breath in their bodies. No one knew exactly when _that_ would happen, either. The whole situation was stressful in the extreme.

And it didn’t help that Beta and Gamma Teams hadn’t reported back in on that house in Virginia for almost an hour now. Honestly, _what_ could be taking them this long? Fletcher didn’t really believe they’d found Isabelle and Alex; that was the kind of good luck SCBI just wasn’t having nowadays.

He leaned back in his chair, shut his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. Still, that ghost of a feeling that something was going terribly, horribly wrong right now wouldn’t go away.

And then the videophone rang, and he turned his full attention back to the emergency at hand…

* * *

Buffy and Spike watched as the magical energy cracked around their rings and faded. There was no place to go for shelter. An instinctive flinch against the sun’s rays and an instant locking of their hands as they prepared to turn to dust and…

Nothing.

The sun continued to beat down on them, and nothing happened. Not even the slightest sizzle.

They looked at each other, confused for a second, and then realization dawned in Spike’s eyes. Buffy raised one eyebrow in curiosity when he let out a bark of laughter, but he brushed her question aside, turning back to the three Mages and the two remaining mercenaries.

The head Mage was scrambling frantically through the book before her. “Why didn’t it work?!” she screamed out in accusation at her two companions. They looked just as surprised as she was. “Why didn’t it work, dammit?!”

Ajaya and Monica had relaxed their guard against the two beast-mercenaries, distracted by the danger Buffy and Spike were in. Ajaya’s guard took the opportunity to lunge at her.

The Slayer rolled to the side just in time, the man-beast’s claws grazing the arm that held her pike. She shifted in awkwardly into her left hand and prepared to fight him off that way.

However, she quickly got help. Spike tackled the mercenary from behind, his arm wrapping around its throat, squeezing. The creature clutched at its throat with both clawed hands, ripping at the flesh of Spike’s arms in a desperate attempt to get free.

It completely forgot about Ajaya.

She jabbed the sharp point of her pike straight through the monster’s heart, and it’s hands slowly felt from Spike’s arm, it’s eyes going gray and it’s head rolling back before it collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Across the battlefield, Monica’s dagger pierced the only remaining mercenary straight through the throat. She took a moment to center herself and catch her breath from the intensity of the battle.

Spike and Ajaya watched as, one by one, the mercenaries reverted to their human forms, the spell broken now that they all were dead.

As one, all four of the remaining members of SCBI turned to the three Mages, who were scrambling to summon up any kind of magical energy to defend themselves. They were all still too drained from the intensity of the spell that failed to even form a protective force-field, however.

Buffy grabbed the lead Mage. “No one tries to harm _my mate_!” she hissed through long fangs.

Ajaya flinched and looked away.

“You can turn back now,” Buffy informed her grimly after a moment.

Ajaya turned back to find that the lead Mage was now lying on the ground, her throat snapped. Her two apprentices had terrified eyes as wide as saucers as they looked to where Spike clutched both of their robes.

“Whadda we do with these two, Slayer?” he asked matter-of-factly.

“We only need one,” she said coldly. “Find out which one’s more willing to talk.”

One of the apprentices had the survival instinct to crack instantly; the other tried to hold out and met a quick death. Spike shackled the remaining apprentice, and the young Mage froze still in place until the magical hold of the cuffs.

“We’re lucky to be undead,” Buffy informed Spike softly, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye for the first time at the thought of what they’d almost lost.

He nodded numbly, the naked fear so plain in his eyes that anyone could see it.

Without the need for words, they met in the center, clutching each other tightly and sobbing softly. Monica and Ajaya politely turned away.

“Xeris needs medical attention,” Monica commented, walking over to him and flipping out her communicator as she did so. “Hey, cutie,” she said into the other end, a bit moved herself.

“What’s going on?” Nicolas asked worriedly, his brow furrowed with concern on the small video monitor. “There was an explosion and—”

“Watchers’ trap,” Monica informed him. “It’s all over now, but Xeris is injured. Can you fly the jet around to…”

“Pick him up,” Nicolas nodded, finishing her sentence for her. “I’ll be right there.”

Monica and Ajaya settled on either side of the fallen Velik Demon. Despite the wounds that would be quite fatal to any human, Xeris’ eyes were now open, and he watched them approach even though he still seemed unable to move.

“How do you feel?” Monica asked softly.

“It is the end,” Xeris let out a dramatic sigh. “I can feel my life fading even as we speak. The black hand of death has taken hold of my heart and—”

“You _look_ fine,” Ajaya said confusedly.

Xeris seemed not to even hear her. “—But, at least, my death was not in vain, for we came from the battle victorious and—”

Monica rolled her eyes and gave Ajaya a small smile. “He does this every time he gets injured,” she quickly reassured the Slayer. “He’ll be just fine.”

“My debt of gratitude is finally repaid,” Xeris continued to drone on in the background. “My life for the lives of my people. My debt to your friendship…that can never fully be repaid, except with my own…”

“Love you, too,” Monica patted his hand reassuringly as the hovercraft pulled into view.

Buffy and Spike came over to join them, still wrapped almost impossibly up in the other’s embrace and talking quietly together, small smiles on their faces now.

The vehicle landed right beside them, and Buffy and Spike went in the open hangar-doors to grab a stretcher. Together, the four of them carefully moved Xeris onto it.

Monica quickly ran back to fetch their prisoner, while the remaining three moved Xeris inside. Despite the Velik Demon’s massive size, the three of them – and the large amounts of super-strength enclosed therein – had a fairly easy time carrying him back on board the shuttle.

Buffy carefully buckled the belts that fastened him securely to one of the medical beds.

Monica dumped the captured Mage in the corner and then took the opportunity to give Spike a sheepish smile and a quick hug. “Glad you’re still with us.”

“Me, too,” Ajaya agreed, settling for just a warm smile.

Spike sighed. “An’ just barely at that,” he said, still a bit shaken up at how close their encounter had really been.

Buffy turned to look at him then. “Why are we still here?” she demanded. “The Watchers usually don’t botch magic like that…”

“The cast the spell of the Ring of Amara, pet,” he informed her.

Buffy frowned for a second, and then her eyes widened. “Oh…” she said in realization, “Oh!”

Monica and Ajaya exchanged baffled looks. “I don’t get it,” they said in perfect unison.

Spike turned back to them while Buffy tended to Xeris. “The spell was specific,” he explained. “It would only work on a Ring of Amara.”

“And?” Monica demanded.

Spike held up the hand with his ring on it. “’S not the Ring of Amara,” he said simply.

Monica blinked. “Yes, it is,” she insisted.

Spike shook his head. “No,” he insisted, “’s a Ring of Gal-gaharisztic’xinarg.”

Ajaya frowned. “Then why do you call it the Ring of Amara?” she asked confusedly.

Buffy answered that one. “ _You_ try saying ‘Gali-whatsit’…”

“Gal-gaharisztic’xinarh,” Spike provided helpfully.

“Yeah,” Buffy nodded, “what he said.”

“But why call it ‘Amara’?” Monica asked curiously.

Buffy and Spike exchanged a glanced.

“Gem of Amara ‘ad similar properties,” Spike explained. “At least, the part ‘bout makin’ vampires immune to the sun, but ‘s long gone now…since _someone_ saw fit to destroy it…” He cast an annoyed look in Buffy’s direction.

“ _I_ didn’t do it!” she insisted.

“No,” Spike scoffed, “but you handed right over to him. Plucked it right off my finger,” he huffed.

“You were trying to _kill_ me!” Buffy exclaimed. “What did you except me to do?”

“Din’t have ta turn it over to the Poof,” he grumbled sullenly.

Monica and Ajaya had long since stopped listening to their private little argument.

“So, the Watchers didn’t know the Rings real name since every calls it ‘Amara’,” Ajaya said thoughtfully. She and Monica exchanged a look.

“Actually,” Monica began, “that’s kind of…”

“Hilarious?” Ajaya giggled.

Monica giggled as well. “Yeah, actually.”

They were both laughing together over in a corner and Buffy and Spike were still arguing heatedly, when Nicolas came back to see what was going on. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw Xeris lying there wounded.

Monica quickly went over to him and took his hand. “He’ll be fine,” she reassured him.

Nicolas nodded and nuzzled her hair gently. “You all right, my love?”

“Just some scratches,” Monica gestured to the fresh claw-marks on her shoulder.

Nicolas frowned for a second before taking them all in. “Where’s Gamma Team?” he finally asked.

Everyone exchanged guilty glances at having completely forgotten the other squad.

“They went around back,” Buffy quickly said. “We have to go check on them…”

Their worries turned into outright fears when they saw how much heavier the destruction was on this side of the building. Just as they were beginning to lose hope, however, a white figure appeared amidst the wreckage, waving at them frantically.

“That’s Siobhan!” Monica announced excitedly. “We need to land.”

“Yeah, but where?” Nicolas asked. “I don’t really want to land on top of anyone…”

Siobhan seemed to anticipate his problem, however, and began gesturing off to the left. Nicolas followed her instructions, and quickly everyone else had disembarked again.

A near-frantic Siobhan led them over to where Gamma Team had been at the time of the explosion. Expressions turned darker when everyone realized that Gamma Team had not fared nearly so well; Xeris’ injuries seemed mild by comparison.

Several were passed over quickly as already dead. Ajaya noted that Tyler was among these, and – even though she’d hadn’t known him long or well – she still felt a brief pang of grief.

Jeren was still alive. Just barely. He was by far the worst off of the survivors, probably because he had been closest to the building at the time. They brought him back to the jet first, and Xeris gave up his bed willingly when he saw how badly off the D’vorak Demon was.

The rest of the survivors were brought in next, followed by the corpses. Everyone remained silent throughout the proceedings, and they returned home solemnly…

* * *

Lily grimaced when the answer she’d been searching for finally presented itself.

Melissa noticed her reaction and nudged Dawn. The two of them looked to her nervously.

“We’re going to have to kill the circle of Mages that cast the spell,” Lily said simply. “It’s the only way to release their hold on the Opprimitae…unless they do it willingly…”

“Which really doesn’t seem likely, does it?” Dawn agreed.

Lily nodded. “But I found the spell to control free Opprimitae,” she said somewhat hopefully. “If we can get the Watchers’ Mages out of the way, I can free all the Witches.”

“Does it say there how long we have?” Melissa asked, checking her watch nervously.

“ ‘One breath’,” Lily repeated all the other texts they’d read ruefully. “We still have no clue what that means…”

“Then we’d better hurry and find those Mages,” Dawn said.

Lily’s brow furrowed. “They’re probably among the Watchers’ top ones,” she commented. “They’ll be almost impossible to find without help…”

* * *

The captured Mage glanced around the empty room nervously, not knowing what was coming exactly but confidant that it would be terrible. He tugged at the ropes that bound his wrists, but he was only a Level Four apprentice and thus had no chance in hell of overcoming the spells placed upon his binds and the room without help.

So, he continued to sit and wait.

He had heard rumors about these people, of course. They consorted with _demons_ , of all things. Strange, unnatural people that went against the light of Good itself.

He wondered what they’d do to him. He’d heard stories, whispers… Feed him to their legions of vampire warriors, perhaps? Dissect him and use his parts to cast dark curses? Let their Vengeance Demons emasculate him? Put him into an arena for wild Boarhounds to rip to shreds?

His panic had reached feverish proportions by the time the door at the end of the room opened, and a man stepped inside. The man didn’t even bother to look in his direction as he pulled the one empty chair from the corner of the room, carried in over so that it was seated about ten feet in front of him, and calmly sat down. The man fixed him with the cold stare over wire-rimmed glasses for a second before speaking.

“My name is Fletcher Price,” the man said stonily. “You’ve heard of me, I take it?”

The Mage nodded numbly. He was so dead. The defected Watcher himself. He was supposed to have all sorts of dark powers, wasn’t he?

“And you are Mr. Gardner,” Fletcher went on. “Am I correct?”

Gardner nodded numbly. The ex-Watcher must have been reading his mind; there was no explanation…

Fletcher silently thanked the computer Isabelle had stolen – and the complete listing of Watchers’ personnel therein – and continued his interrogation. “You are a Mage?”

Nervous nod.

“Level Four?”

Again a nod.

“Are you one of those controlling the Opprimitae?” Fletcher demanded.

Gardner started at him in amazement. How did he know that…?

“I’m waiting for your answer, Mr. Gardner,” Fletcher said impatiently.

“N-No,” Gardner vehemently shook his head, “I-I’m not strong enough to…”

“It wasn’t your circle then?” Fletcher repeated.

“No,” Gardner agreed.

Fletcher jotted something down on the pad before him. “Moving along then,” he said with false pleasantry, “where are the Mages who cast the spell?”

“I-I’m not sure,” Gardner insisted.

Fletcher frowned but let it pass. “Where are the Watchers holding the Slayer, Isabelle?”

Gardner refused to meet in his eyes.

“Ah,” Fletcher said in understanding, “they’re in the same place then.”

“I didn’t say that!” Gardner demanded nervously.

Fletcher leaned in, their faces only inches apart. “Where. Are. They?” he demanded coldly.

“Th-They’ll kill me if they found out I told!” Gardner exclaimed fearfully.

“I see,” Fletcher backed off and walked over to the door. He stuck his head out for a second while Gardner shifted nervously in his bonds. When Fletcher returned, he had that same monster with him that had captured Gardner in the first place.

“Spike, meet Mr. Gardner,” Fletcher said conversationally, gesturing to the bound Mage. “Mr. Gardner, this is Spike…although you probably know him better as William the Bloody…”

Spike flashed his fangs at this point, and Gardner gulped and shrunk back in his chair. “He not talkin’?” Spike asked menacingly. “’E said he would…an’ I _hate_ liars…”

“The Hellmouth!” Gardner practically screeched.

Fletcher and Spike exchanged glances.

“Which one?” Fletcher demanded…

* * *

Isabelle and Alex turned when the door opened and West entered. Alex stood, but West quickly gestured for him to leave.

“Go now,” West ordered. “You’re not wanted here.”

Alex frowned but moved to the door. He cast one last look back at the very terrified Isabelle before shutting the door behind him.

“And you, my dear,” West sneered, “are coming with me. The time for the ritual is at hand…”


	27. Chapter 27

Isabelle let out a resigned sigh when she realized that, once again, she wasn’t strong enough to escape. I mean, wasn’t that the whole point of being a Slayer? That you weren’t helpless like this anymore?

She’d made a vain attack on West when he moved her into this temple. Unfortunately, her blows had just bounced off of the powerful magical field that protected him. And if there was one thing she had no ability to fight against, it was magic.

Hence, why this whole ritual thing had her so freaked out.

When she’d first entered the temple, all she’d been able to do was stare dumbly. She’d never expected anything this _big_. She and West had taken seemingly endless winding dirt tunnels down further and further into the earth to get here. She’d anticipated some little, dusty hole in the ground, not… _this_.

The underground chamber was shaped like a massive dome, rather reminiscent of many of those old Gothic churches she’d frequented back when she was in Spain. In fact, the dome was so high that Isabelle could have sworn she saw one ray of the sun shinning through the cracks of what looked to be a trapdoor of some kind in the ceiling.

How anyone could possibly _use_ a trapdoor there was beyond her. Anyone coming through would fall over a hundred feet to their death.

The entire dome was so lavishly decorated that, for a second, Isabelle was convinced that Alex had lied to her and they were, in fact, back in old Europe. However, the nature of the designs…

Vines and rivers twisted around the figures that decorated the entire roof…figures Isabelle was all too familiar with. Demons of every form and shape she’d ever seen stared back at her with eyes incised with black onyx. The vast majority of the demons on the walls she’d hadn’t even managed to encounter during her short tenure as Slayer, but she recited the names of those she could in order to keep her mind from what was about to happen.

She spotted friends – Vampires, Veliks, D’voraks, Vengeance Demons, one of those butterfly women she’d seen, and even what looked to be a stray bean sidhe. These forms were encouraging to her. They reminded her that half the ‘monsters’ on those walls right now were out there looking for her, ready to take out every Watcher they needed to in order to save her.

Unfortunately, Alex’ words wrung clear in her mind: “No one would _ever_ think to look for them back here…”

And there was no doubt in her mind now that this was a Hellmouth…or a former Hellmouth, at the very least. No other place on the planet could have produced a temple of this terrifying magnitude.

Several Watchers grabbed hold of her arms roughly and half-dragged her over to the altar at the direct center of the room. She realized with despair that these Watchers also had magical wards protecting them for her strength; someone sure was throwing a lot of magic around…and powerful magic, at that.

She’d ignored the proceedings on the ground level up till now, so absorbed was she in the vaulting ceiling. And, once she’d seen what was there, she wish she didn’t know.

The ‘altar’ looked more like some old Medieval torture device…what did they call it…? Oh, yeah. A rack. It was a flat, level table with manacles at the four corners to hold feet and hands in place as the victim was stretched off to the four corners.

Just to make the whole thing look extra cheery, the table legs were in the form of four skeletons, each of which had a maniacal, dead grin on its face and a razor-sharp knife in its upraised hand.

Painted on the floor beneath her now were ancient, mystical symbols. She had no idea what any of them meant – some looked Egyptian, others Celtic, some African, some Chinese, some she couldn’t even begin to guess at – but they all sent chills of terror deep into her bones…and strangely broke her will to struggle against her captors at the same time.

She just lay there numbly, resigned to her fate, as she was lifted up onto the altar and her hands and feet were locked in place.

The other Watchers left her then, all except West. A satisfied smile spread across his face as he watched her defeated form.

“You know,” he said at last, “you really should thank us.”

The sheer ridiculousness of that statement brought Isabelle out of the trance she’d been in. “Oh, yeah,” she retorted sarcastically, “’cause I just _love_ being the sacrificial victim and all… Thank you _so_ much, Mr. West!” she said in as falsely a saccharine tone as she could manage.

He scowled down at her. “Foolish little girl,” he hissed, “you have no idea what you’re about to become a part of!”

“Uh, let me guess,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, “you’re going to kill me. Fun for the whole family.”

“You’re about to save the world!” West retorted, infuriated that the Powers had ever thought to Choose this disrespectful little girl.

“Funny,” Isabelle retorted, “I didn’t even know it was in danger. In fact, the only danger _I’ve_ seen is from _you_.”

“You haven’t seen the danger?” West scoffed. “You really are a silly, stupid thing then, aren’t you?”

Isabelle rattled against her bonds at this, desperate to get at his throat, but they held firm.

“The end has been all around you all along, and you’ve been too blinded by your selfishness to see it!” West accused bitterly.

“OK, I’ll bite,” Isabelle said, annoyed. “What ‘end’ have I been missing?”

He scoffed in disbelief. “She spends so much time befriending demons that she doesn’t even see them…”

“Hello?” Isabelle demanded. “Standing…er, _lying_ right here! Talking about me in the third person incredibly impolite!”

“You don’t know the first thing about manners,” West insisted, “or duty. Adina…she would have given herself up willingly for this great cause.”

“If Adina’s so great,” Isabelle retorted, “then why is she dead?”

“She gave her life for the greater good,” West said matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t expect _you_ to understand.”

“Ah,” Isabelle nodded. “Pardon my stupidity. You see, I didn’t realize that randomly killing innocent demons and then stabbing the Slayer that tries to save them qualifies as ‘good’…”

“ ‘Innocent demons’?” West scoffed. “Please, tell me you don’t actually believe that such a creature exists!”

“Well, not ‘innocent’ as in snowy white virgins,” Isabelle conceded. “But, let’s think here…experience in past few weeks… Number of times demons have saved my life: five. Number of times Watchers have tried to kill me: four. Yup, you’re right. Those demons sure are evil…”

“They have brainwashed you,” West hissed angrily. “You honestly think they’re your friends? All they ever do is kill and destroy. And they’ll turn on you in a heartbeat, my dear, when the moment’s right…”

“I see,” Isabelle said in disgust. “So, every single demon I’ve met is all in on this massive conspiracy to…what? Pretend to be good? Lull us poor, trusting humans into a false sense of security? And then they’re all going to rise up in unison one day to kill us off?”

“The end of the world,” West agreed.

Isabelle let out a bark of laughter. “Paranoid much?” she asked rhetorically. “I’ve just got to ask you… Have you _ever_ known a demon?”

“I don’t consort with such filthy creatures!” West exclaimed in horror. “Never!”

“And this completely avoiding demons all together gives you better insight into their minds than their own friends?”

“ _I_ have not fallen for their tricks and lies!” West insisted vehemently.

“Oh yeah,” Isabelle said sarcastically, “you’re a paragon of the forces of good, all right…”

“I am pure,” West insisted. “I am right. The Powers support my cause!”

“Y’know,” Isabelle began, “I’ve been meaning to ask someone that. If the Powers are on the Watchers’ side and all, then why do they keep Choosing Slayers that will go against the Council?”

“Unfortunately, They could not stop the evil from entering your heart,” West hissed.

“Either that, or they realize that you’re all a bunch of nutcases and are trying to keep the Slayers as far away from you as is physically possible,” Isabelle countered.

“Even if they have turned against us,” West said in an icy voice, “the Slayers will still be ours.”

Isabelle frowned at that. “What are you talking about?” she asked, confused.

West gestured to the room around them. “All this,” he said, “what did you think it was for, silly girl? We’re going to rip the Slayer right out of you and put it into a girl of _our_ choosing…”

Isabelle looked around and noticed for the first time that one lone girl stood in the far corner of the room, just standing there, waiting, almost unblinking, almost…dead.

“What?” Isabelle exclaimed in disbelief. “ _Her_?”

“She is loyal,” West insisted. “She will _never_ turn on us!”

“She’s not a _Slayer_!” Isabelle cried out. “She’s just a tool!”

“The Slayers are _ours_ ,” West said vehemently. “We have watched over them for millennia!”

“Then, maybe it’s time for a change,” Isabelle suggested.

“You don’t understand,” West said wearily. “You have been corrupted by the Dark.”

“Or maybe _you_ have,” Isabelle pointed out. “That ever occur to you? Given that you’re about to kill a Slayer and all…”

“But you are a false Slayer,” he retorted, “a rogue. You are a blasphemy upon the name of ‘Slayer’ itself!”

“Either that, or _you’re_ one upon the name of ‘Watcher’.”

With a final frustrated exclamation, West stalked away from her and back to the preparations, muttering about how the devil’s own words had entered Isabelle.

Isabelle herself rolled her eyes and tried desperately to come up with some means of escape. She was still secured, however. And now she was alone with nothing to think about except the fate that awaited her once the ritual began…

* * *

Ajaya shifted nervously in her seat as the jet set down in southern California. She didn’t know exactly why, but coming here had set practically everyone on edge. Even Buffy and Spike who had remained somewhat cheerful up to this point pulled away from each other now, fingers barely brushing and solemn expressions on their faces. Ajaya shivered at the discomfort in the air. This was a bad place.

The sun was still out. Fortunately, Nicolas had found a ring to borrow for their little trip. They would need the help now that Jeren’s team was left back at the mansion, getting the medical help they so desperately deserved.

The truth of the matter was that they were a bit short on help. SCBI’s resources had been stretched thin after the rapid succession of disasters as of late. Ajaya had been excited to see that Lily was back, and she hadn’t really met Melissa before, but…half-Vengeance Demon. Sounded good, right?

The team disembarked and headed into the small town. Ajaya raised an eyebrow at the sight before her. Bright California sun, palm trees and artificially-watered lawns, nice old houses and quaint little shops… It wasn’t exactly what she’d imagined a former Hellmouth to look like.

“Lily?” Buffy demanded, turning to the young Witch.

She frowned. “There’s a lot of energy here,” she began hesitantly. “It’s making it hard to track anything…and I’m pretty sure Isabelle’s essence is being magically covered up.”

“What ‘bout Alex’?” Spike inquired.

Lily shook her head. “It’s no good,” she sighed. “Something big’s going on…something powerful…”

“Can you track _that_?” Buffy demanded. “’Cause I’m willing to wager everything I’ve got that the Watchers are behind it…”

Lily closed her eyes for a second and centered herself. The wind that blew through her honey-brown hair seemed to come from nowhere, swirling about her as she summoned her power.

“It’s too scattered,” she finally said apologetically. “There’s still too much residual energy left over from the Hellmouth.”

“Then we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way,” Buffy nodded grimly. “Everyone fan out and ask about large groups of people wearing tweed. Trust me, they _really_ stick out in a place like this. Ask the demons first. They tend to be more helpful and observant…”

* * *

Isabelle opened her eyes when the flurry of activity around her came to an abrupt halt. The room was eerily silent now, the symbols are drawn in their proper places and all non-essential personnel removing themselves from the site of the ritual.

One figure stood over her, and her eyes narrowed when she recognized Clifford Fitzpatrick. West stood off to the side of the room, obviously not a part of the ritual but wanting to witness it nonetheless.

Fitzpatrick saw that she was awake and gave her an icy smile before gesturing for the three Mages to begin.

Isabelle attempted to twist free of her bonds one last time when the three old Mages approached. Two men and one woman, all looking older than was physically possible as if only their magic itself held them together anymore. Their voices were dry and cracking when they spoke.

“Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos,” the head Mage, one of the two old men, spoke aloud from the head of the altar she was tied to, “Fates, Guardians of the Chosen Paths, we besiege you, grant out prayer and favor our Choice.”

The other two Mages had set themselves up at the two corners at her feet. When these last worlds were uttered, they each removed the knife from the hands of the skeletons at the corners and sunk the sharp blades each into her feet.

Isabelle screamed aloud at the pain, its blinding intensity more than any knife wound should be.

The Mage at the head of the altar took the remaining two knifes and continued to chant. “Remove that which is Dark,” he stuck one of the knifes through Isabelle’s left hand, “and replace is with the Light.” The second blade pierced her right hand, and she screamed out in pain once again.

Fighting against the blinding tears that stung in her eyes, Isabelle looked at the ceiling, desperate for anything to catch her attention.

The door in the center of the ceiling was open now, and one stream of light from the noonday sun formed a golden column that landed on the ground less than a dozen feet away from. Isabelle realized, as she watched it, that the patch of sunlight was slowly moving closer to her. She felt a nauseous sinking in her stomach when she thought about what would most likely happen when it finally reached her.

Her eyes shifted their focus, looking for something less dooming to gaze upon…and – somewhat surprisingly, she thought – settled on the carving of the Vengeance Demon. _I could really use a good spot of vengeance right about now_ , she decided.

It didn’t come, of course. The lead Mage continued to chant in a strange, ancient dialogue that grated on Isabelle’s ears. He gestured to the other two Mages, and they all stepped away from her, mumbling that odd foreign language in unison as they did so.

It was then that the girl Isabelle had notice before came over, a small golden cup in her hands. Three other girls approached as well, and Isabelle blinked for a second, confident that she knew them. She’d never laid eyes on any of their faces before, but something instinctive deep inside her called out to them. _The other Slayers_ , she realized numbly.

Instead of taking up positions at the four corners of the altar with the skeletons, the three Slayers and one wannabe Slayer stood at the sides of the table. At the head, a stern-faced girl of eastern European heritage, her eyes empty of the life that had been stolen from her. To her left, a tall girl with the shape of a bodybuilder, her hair completely shaved off and her posture that of full military attention. To the right, a small African girl with beautiful black hair. This Slayer, at least, had the decency to give Isabelle an apologetic little smile.

And, finally, at the foot, the not-yet-Slayer. She looked even more dead up close, her eyes staring vacantly, her skin pale and emaciated, the sharp angles of her bones protruding from her skin, her black hair hacked and limp. She looked upon Isabelle with no humanity or compassion at all.

“Oh, yeah,” Isabelle hissed angrily at her, “it’s a real wonder why the Powers didn’t Choose you.”

“Silence,” the girl ordered in a dull monotone. She held up the goblet before her. “I drink of Power,” she chanted from rote memory. “I drink of Life. I drink our Essences, brought together.” She took a deep sip out of the cup, and when she pulled back, she had blood on her lips.

Isabelle had been wondering when they were going to use the blood they’d taken from her… The spectacle before her made her shudder from the sheer unnaturalness of it. The girl looked like a vampire with the blood on her mouth like that, but rather than seeking life from it, she sought death…

As she set tossed the cup aside, the beam of sunlight moved forth another inch and bathed the dead girl in a golden glow, a mockery of a halo. The light continued to move forward, and the girl moved with it, climbing up onto the altar as she did so.

Isabelle began to thrash again the bonds and the knifes still embedded in her hands and feet as the dead girl crawled up her body, looking like the nightmare image of the ghoul from the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The sunlight seemed to sear Isabelle’s skin even as the other girl’s body covered hers.

The girl’s face was over her chest now, and she took in a deep breath. Isabelle gasped in horror as she saw a stream of blue-gray smoke seep up out of her chest and into the other girl’s mouth. The more the other girl breathed in, the weaker Isabelle felt. She suddenly realized that she was dying, that it was her life, her essence – both mortal and Slayer – that the other girl was drinking up.

She looked up to the ceiling one last time to her place of comfort. The face of the Vengeance Demon seemed almost to be smiling down at her. Isabelle blinked. For a second, she would have sworn the statue _moved_. But then that tiny shred of strength that had kept her conscious thus far faded, and blackness overcame her…

* * *

The group from SCBI and the group of Watchers’ guards spotted each other at the exact same moment.

“Attack!” Buffy cried out, completely out of patience with the Watchers’ Council by now.

A vicious firefight broke out immediately, both sides _really_ out for blood this time.

Buffy ducked behind a nearby tree and caught sight of what it was the Watchers were guarding so intently. In the middle of the field, there looked to be a trap door. Maybe five-by-five feet maximum. The sun shone down into it, illuminating the outline of what was obviously a room below.

Buffy’s eyes narrowed as the small door became her new sole objective in unlife. And, once she set her mind to getting something, absolutely _nothing_ could stop her…not even twenty Watchers with laser rifles…

* * *

The newest Slayer breathed in deeply once more, feeling power beyond anything she’d ever imagined surge through her as she sucked in the last of Isabelle’s essence.

She leaned down to take one last breath to finish the traitor off…

And screamed when something tackled her hard from behind.

The Watchers, Mages, and even Slayers watched dumbly as Alex leapt from the carvings on the ceiling he’d been hanging on and crashed directly into their new replacement Slayer, interrupting the ritual.

Before anyone had time to react, he caught the only half-strong girl by the neck and broke it with an audible snap.

Back on the altar, Isabelle moaned as the strength returned back to her body slowly. She blinked her eyes open and didn’t seem surprised in the slightest to see Alex tossing the body of the dead girl aside and yanking the knifes from her feet and hands.

“They really are completely insane, aren’t they?” he asked her, his voice oddly casual in the stunned silence of the temple.

Isabelle managed to crack a small smile as Alex lifted her up into his arms. “You’re just figuring that out now?” she said with only a ghost of her usual sarcasm. She promptly passed out once more.

It was at that moment that Clifford Fitzpatrick seemed to realize that all his plans were ruined. His cold eyes turned to where Alex and Isabelle were still atop the altar and his voice was a low hiss: “Kill them. Destroy them both…”


	28. Chapter 28

Every so often, a moment occurs. An important moment. One in which lives are changed – for the better or worse – and you realize after that moment has passed that nothing will ever be the same again, no matter how much you wish you could go back.

For Spike, it had been shortly after his torture session with Glory when he suddenly started actually caring about the _people_ around him, instead of just their importance to him.

For Willow, it had been the day that she discovered that her powers no longer controlled and defined her, that she herself was strong…and finally able to move on from the tragedies of her past.

For Xander and Anya, it had been a casual realization one day that it hadn’t just been coincidence that they’d become involved in the first place, that there actually was something _real_ there between, something that they couldn’t deny.

For Dawn, the knowledge of what it truly meant to be the Key.

For Buffy, finally looking into her former enemy’s eyes and realizing that, yes, she did love him, and it wasn’t wrong in the slightest.

For Nicolas, accepting that he was a vampire but could still be himself despite it and stop living in the past.

For Fletcher, the grim realization that he’d never be able to truly change the Watcher’s Council from within and that his own path lay elsewhere.

For Xeris, the day he first heard of Velik liberation and remembering what the word ‘free’ meant.

For Monica, reluctantly turning away from her confining family and moving out on her own.

And, for Alex…

Until that moment, he would have said it started with the death of his parents, or maybe with Nina’s. That the grief had changed him, and there was no coming back.

But this moment…this was the real thing. He could tell by the way it sunk down into his bones.

At that moment, the three Slayers rushed him from all sides while simultaneously the Mages were raising some sort of magical weapon and the other Watchers were raising very physical weapons.

But he didn’t really notice any of this. It seemed insignificant to him. Because at that moment, Isabelle’s eyelashes fluttered open, and she looked up at his face with a tired smile.

“Knew you’d come for me,” she whispered weakly.

And suddenly his actions all made sense. The entire time he’d been sneaking about, planning to free Isabelle, he’d been half-convinced he was crazy. After all, he really didn’t stand a chance. And he had been working for this all along. Why on earth would he want to stop that?

But now…now he suddenly realized that he could never have lived with himself if he’d just stood idly by, could never have let them kill this Slayer in his arms.

He looked up just as the first Slayer reached out to catch him…and growled.

Isabelle gasped in astonishment when his features contorted, demonic veins marring his nose and cheeks for an instant as his eyes flashed a deep red. Isabelle was abruptly reminded of her most recent dream, except Alex’ features looked less vampiric now and more…like the carving above them. _Half Vengeance Demon_ , her mind supplied.

The Slayer facing him was startled, of course, but killing demons was second nature to her. However, as she tried to touch him, a blinding flash sent her flying backward across the room. The other two Slayers met with similar fates.

To Alex, it all seemed to be happening in slow motion, a simple magical repulsion spell all needed to throw them off one by one…although, in the back of his mind, he was dimly aware that he should be _speaking_ the words of the spell for it to work.

The Mages at the center of the room were a greater problem, however. The few simple curses he’d picked up over the years could never stand against their power. As the Mages raised up a powerful he magical field, he _really_ wished he had some help in this…

* * *

Buffy finally reached the trapdoor, tossing one of the Watchers’ guards over her shoulder as she did so. Fortunately, not too long ago, all the Watchers’ weapons had suddenly – and inexplicably – stopped working. The SCBI group had been just as surprised as the Watchers had, but they hadn’t hesitated for one second to take advantage of that fact.

Buffy looked down into the opening and swore when she realized it was too far down for her to jump and not be seriously injured in the process. She looked around for a minute, searching for anything to attach the carabiner on her belt to…

And suddenly the world swirled around her. She staggered dizzily for a second and then reopened her eyes to find – what on earth?

The SCBI group blinked in stunned silence when they suddenly found themselves down in the temple, all the Watchers they had just been fighting gone. The Watchers in the temple looked equally confused for a moment.

And then everyone’s attention turned to the central altar when Alex finally collapsed with a loud crash.

A blink.

And then the fight broke out anew, Lily and Melissa uniting their energies to disrupt the Mages’ spell while the rest of the team took out the Watchers – whose weapons were _also_ useless – and the three Slayers.

Buffy grabbed built-like-a-tank, Ajaya pale-and-tall, and Spike short-and-African, keeping the Watchers’ Slayers away from the rest of the fights where they could do the most damage.

Lily and Melissa still were holding their own against the three Mages…but _just_ barely. Under normal circumstances, their wards would’ve given way almost immediately to the three powerful magic-users, but the recent ritual had worn the Mages out. Not to mention that strange ebb of magical energy that still rocked through the room from time to time, throwing them all off their game.

Lily frowned slightly. She knew she recognized that magical signature from _somewhere_ , but it was distorted now, impossible for her to place.

The Watchers themselves were faring quite poorly. Nicolas and Monica alone had been left to deal with them, but it was still a slaughter…in metaphorical terms, of course. They needed to take everyone they could alive in their efforts to cure the Witches…

However, they were greatly outnumbered, if not outpowered. The constant distraction this provided allowed one to slip past them, around the battles with Slayers, heading purposefully for the center of the room, eyes locked on the unconscious pair atop the altar the entire time…

The _bitch_ had lost him any respect he’d ever had with the Council, and nothing he could ever do would make up for the fact that he had handed a Slayer over to the enemy side. Not to mention that filthy _demon_ friend of hers; he had warned Fitzpatrick to kill the traitor the instant they had Isabelle, but Fitzpatrick had insisted that he could have other uses.

West shook his head in disgust. Demons were abominations, no good for anything unless they were dead. They were all fools for not having killed this one instantly, him and all his kind…

The skeletons at the corners of the altar didn’t want to give up their blades easily. The only time their hands ever released the four daggers was during rituals.

West struggled a bit, trying to get one skeleton to let go, and finally just ripped the weapon – and the skeleton’s arm as well – clear off the altar. His eyes narrowed to cold black slits, he turned to face the reposing pair…

And found one of them not so reposing after all.

“Y’know,” Isabelle commented, “I was hoping I’d get another shot at you…”

With a howl of rage, West lunged at the vile, demon-consorting whore, blade slashing right at her gut.

Isabelle was still weak from the drain of the ritual, but instinctively she still managed to twist to the side and out of harm’s way. She grabbed West’s wrist as he fell past, twisting his hand as she did so.

With a gasp of pain, he fell prone on the floor, his own blade buried deep in his chest.

Isabelle let out a little sigh of relief when she saw his body finally go slack and the life fade from his eyes. Then, she turned to check on Alex.

His features were human again now, and she was pretty sure none of the SCBI team had seen his change. In fact, it was right as the group of all their friends appeared that Alex’ face shifted back to normal and he collapsed in a heap, like a marionette whose strings have been cut.

She was a bit concerned as she approached him, but he was still breathing and his pulse was slow but steady. She pushed his shoulder back a bit, rolling him over onto his back so that his unconscious position wasn’t so uncomfortable. He didn’t stir in the slightest, seeming completely drained. Isabelle was still a bit confused as to why he had passed out, but she wouldn’t worry about it now because he seemed fine, almost like he was just…sleeping.

One hand reached out to brush his hair back from his forehead before she even knew she had done it. She felt a blush rise up on her cheeks even though there was no one there to see it. _How warped am I_ , she chided herself, _that I find the guy who kidnapped me cute?_

Still, despite everything he’d done to her, she couldn’t see him as evil. Needing to be slapped around a lot, yeah; but all in all…

* * *

Across the battlefield, Lily and Melissa were starting to crumble under the opposing forces of the three Mages. However, none of them had anticipated what happened next.

Buffy and the Slayer she was fighting crashed into the magical barrier surrounding the three. The combined impact of the power of two Slayers – and one with vampiric strength on top of it – warped the force field, creating a massive hole where the collision had occurred.

The two Slayers crashed to the ground, each struggling for dominance…and knocking the feet right out from under the three Mages as they flailed and kicked.

Lily and Melissa blinked at their good fortune and then struck with all they had, binding the three Mages in place.

Buffy’s battle had since traveled over twenty feet away, so the two were easily able to place magical restraints upon the Mages – restraints which had been produced by the entire coven, and thus couldn’t be broken out of.

So that just left…

Ajaya. She caught the Slayer she was fighting squarely in the ribs, her fist stinging with the force of the punch.

The other girl staggered back but still managed to counter with a roundhouse kick. It caught Ajaya right in the jaw, and she had to fight with all her strength to remain conscious. Only her sixth senses allowed her to leap back just in time to avoid being bashed over the head by one of the now-useless laser rifles.

Ajaya was on her feet again now. She dodged two more swings and searched frantically for any weapon to defend herself with. Her eyes suddenly alighted upon her opponent’s waistband and the stake there.

She paused intentionally for just a second, giving the other girl just enough time to take really good aim. Just as she struck downward, both hands gripping the rifle like a bat, Ajaya tucked and rolled, escaping the brunt of the hit and acquiring the stake at the same time.

“I om no wampyr,” the other girl said in terribly accented English.

Ajaya plunged the stake right into her heart nonetheless. “Just for reference,” she retorted, “stakes work on humans just as well.”

With a gasp, the other Slayer was no more.

Ajaya looked up just in time to see Buffy snap tank-girl’s neck. Monica and Nicolas had effectively shackled all the Watchers they could get a hold of.

The last Slayer that was still fighting Spike noticed this at the same moment Ajaya had. She did a quick flip backwards to avoid Spike’s last blow, but then – to everyone’s surprise – dropped to her knees, holding her hands up in the air.

“’S it jus’ me,” Spike began, torn about whether to attack again, “or is she surrenderin’?”

Buffy nodded with similar confusion and slowly approached the girl, cuffs out.

The Slayer merely nodded, and Buffy quickly closed the wristbands, freezing the Watchers’ Slayer in place.

“And that takes care of everything,” Buffy breathed out a weary sigh, “except…”

“Are you all right?” Isabelle was softly asking the waking Alex back on the altar.

He frowned and blinked for a few seconds. “Isabelle?” he asked in confusion. “What happened? I had the strangest dream and…”

“You went all veiny and demony,” she informed him.

His brow furrowed further. “But I can’t…” He broke off when he realized that he was now surrounded by his former teammates.

“The Witches weren’t around to remove your immunity to the shackles,” Monica said coldly. “You saw to that.”

“So help me,” Lily hissed, her face a pure mask of rage, “if weren’t not in time to save my moms… You won’t live a day longer, Harris.”

Melissa was merely baffled by why everyone was so furious with her brother. “What’s going on here?” she demanded.

“’Ere, pumpkin,” Spike wrapped one arm around her shoulder and led her away from the spectacle in the center of the room, “there’s a few things that’ve happened lately that you might not wanna find out ‘bout with a big crowd…”

“Alex,” Buffy said solemnly once Melissa was out of hearing distance, “I’m going to have to ask you to give yourself up.”

He looked around for a way to flee for a second, but Isabelle caught his hand. “Just give in for once,” she encouraged him. “It’ll be all right…” She looked up to Buffy. “He saved my life, you know. And he was the one that stopped the Watchers’ guns and brought you here. I saw it.”

A few skeptical looks at that.

“How?” Nicolas demanded of the man he had thought was his friend.

“I don’t know,” Alex shrugged.

“And we’re supposed to believe you now?” Monica retorted.

Alex refused to comment but allowed himself to be shackled – even though the cuffs did nothing more than to restrain his hands – and led back through the tunnels to the jet.

The battle was won.

* * *

Lily sat in the center of the circle, waiting.

The three Mages had done her the convenience of committing suicide the instant they were freed in their cell. Still, no one knew how they’d managed it with their magics bound and no weapons on their persons. But those that have practiced magic that long always picked up a few tricks, and Lily figured that was how they’d managed it.

So now, there was nothing between her and control of the Opprimitae before her.

She’d nervously entered the small room where her two moms and their familiar had first been captured. True to form, another Opprimita broke off from the one in Aida and lunged at her. However, she’d frozen it in place with a simple halt in a long-dead demon dialect.

 _Way_ too many hours of research had given her an extensive knowledge of just how every spell would impact the magical creatures.

She had then proceeded to sit in the center of the circle her moms had been using and placed the empty coffee can in front of her.

She had no assistants. It was too dangerous, and they were all too inexperienced.

She began in a low chant, reciting the words of power and form of these ancient creatures.

Slowly, the Opprimita that she had frozen earlier turned to face her, looking like a moving tar-slick as it slithered along towards her.

For one second, they faced each other, and Lily could almost make out the outline of a woman’s face in the ‘head’ of the thing. There was a brief tension while Lily silently prayed to every Goddess she knew that her spell of control had been successful…

And then the Opprimita dove into the coffee can, shrinking down to a little black dot right down at the bottom.

She waited a moment…and then saw the three slip out of Willow, Aida, and the familiar. They also paused to look at her in recognition before diving inside. The four all together didn’t look any bigger than the one.

Lily watched the three frozen figures nervously, still slightly worried that she’d missed something, that they wouldn’t wake up right, that they’d…

The familiar blinked first, frowned slightly in confusion, and then shook his head. He got one look at Lily, the coffee can, and the still-frozen Willow and Aida before muttering something under his breath about why he ever bothered to visit this dimension in the first place and vanishing to go home with a blinding flash.

Willow and Aida began to stir just after he was gone, but Lily was distracted at that moment by the arrival of half a dozen more Opprimitae. She guessed they were the ones from the Witches that had been down in the control room. They had taken longer to get to her because they’d had a slightly longer trip to make.

Willow and Aida watched the oozing black creatures vanish into the coffee can curiously. And then they noticed who was beside it.

“Lily!” two delighted squeals of joy rang out at once, and Lily abruptly found herself in the embrace of her two moms…who really had no right to be this strong at their ages.

“Hey, moms,” Lily said, sniffing slightly in relief.

“Y-You’re all better, honey?” Aida brushed her hair back from her ear.

Lily nodded. “The portion you made worked perfectly,” she agreed. “I’m completely back to my old self.”

“But how…?” Willow began, frowning in confusion and looking around them, feeling that something was off. “We just finished it…” she added uncertainly.

“You’ve been out for over twenty-four hours, mom,” Lily informed her. Several more Opprimitae slunk into the room as she did so. “These things,” she gestured to where they were settling down into the coffee can with their companions, “they’re called Opprimitae. They possessed you – froze you in place. We just finally figured out how to get them out.”

Willow and Aida peered into the can and watched the little, black spec there speculatively.

“Trust me,” Lily insisted, “they’re the most trouble we’ve had with magical entities in _years_.”

The two old Witches watched another stray slink into the room as well.

“Uh…how many of them are there?” Willow asked curiously.

“Rough count, five thousand,” Lily grimaced.

“And you have to wait here until they _all_ crawl into that coffee can?” Willow inquired.

“Oh no,” Lily shook her head, “they’ll come to me wherever I am. I just want to stay here until all the ones in the mansion find me. I don’t want to confuse them by wandering all over. They could get lost in the plumbing or something.”

“Opprimitae in the plumbing?” Aida tried to gauge whether or not Lily was teasing her.

“There were nasty stories in the books,” Lily insisted. “Trust me: we _so_ don’t want to deal with that.”

Willow and Aida exchanged a suspicious glance. And laughed.


	29. Chapter 29

Isabelle groaned. There was no question in her mind; this was the most miserable she’d ever been.

“Hey,” a voice said, hazy and far too loud for her tastes. “Are you awake?”

“’Course I am,” Isabelle groaned again and blinked her eyes open, “what with you yelling in my and all...”

“Humph,” Ajaya crossed her arms in front of her, “I sit with you all night and _this_ is the thanks I get?”

“All night?” Isabelle asked, confused. She abruptly noticed that she was in some kind of hospital room. “Where am I?” she asked, suddenly alarmed. “What happened?”

“You passed out,” Ajaya explained, “when the others were taking Alex into custody. I had to carry you all the way to the jet.”

Isabelle groaned yet again. This was a morning for groaning, she decided. “That makes how many times I fainted?” she complained. “Four? Five? So much for Slayer strength...”

“Hey,” Ajaya reassured her, “you went through a nasty magical ritual. That’ll drain _anyone’s_ energy. Maddie says you probably won’t be back on your feet for a couple of days...and maybe two weeks before you’re really full strength.”

“Who’s Maddie?” Isabelle asked.

“Your doctor. We kind of commandeered her clinic since the medical facilities at HQ are toast. Maddie’s a Slayer, too,” Ajaya added.

“Of course, she is,” Isabelle said sarcastically. “They just keep popping out of the woodwork, don’t they?”

Ajaya chuckled slightly. “Six Slayers in one place,” she agreed. “It was pretty crazy. Maddie’s all jealous that she’s the only one that was left out.”

Isabelle’s brow furrowed as her head began to clear. “What happened to them?” she asked. “The other Slayers, I mean...”

Ajaya gave her a grim smile. “One of them surrendered...Ngozi. The other two...”

Isabelle nodded. “They were dead already...not that that makes it any more pleasant...”

Ajaya silently agreed. “Fitzpatrick was arrested,” she added more cheerfully. “Fletcher turned him over to the World Government Security Council. He’s being tried as an international criminal along with the rest of the Watchers’ high command...well, except West, of course.”

Isabelle couldn’t help but smile at that. “Bastard had it coming,” she said with remorse.

Ajaya grimaced. “The Witches are OK,” she added. “Lily reversed the spell and everything. She’s got this big coffee can full of Opprimitae now. It’s pretty cool. This morning at breakfast, five more arrived, and they just slithered up on to the table and into the can. Fletcher practically choked on his coffee. It was pretty funny.”

Isabelle smiled. “Sorry, I missed that.”

“Yeah,” Ajaya agreed. “Oh! Xeris is out of the hospital again, so that’s good.”

“Xeris was in the hospital?” Isabelle demanded.

“Oh, that’s right,” Ajaya slapped her forehead, “you were kidnapped then. Yeah, the Watchers tried to blow us all up. That guy who was flirting with you? Tyler?”

“Yeah?” Isabelle asked.

“H-He died. Gamma Team got hit hard,” Ajaya bit her lip. “A couple of the others did, too. I don’t think you knew them...”

“Jeren?” Isabelle asked.

Ajaya shook her head. “He’s still in intensive care, but it looks like he’ll pull through.”

Isabelle nodded slowly. “And Xeris?”

“Got hit with some shrapnel,” Ajaya shrugged. “Apparently you can’t really hurt Veliks unless you get them in the horns.” She gave Isabelle an amused little smile. “It’s great,” she laughed. “Xeris has this whole exaggerated story about how he leapt to push Spike out of harm’s way just at the last second, and Spike’s all ‘you bloody well did not!’, and Xeris just keep embellishing it more and more. It’s pretty hilarious. You’ll have to rag Spike about it when he shows up.”

“Spike’s here?” Isabelle asked a bit too enthusiastically.

“Woah, down girl,” Ajaya teased. “Yeah, he’s out in the lobby with Buffy, scaring all of Maddie’s patients. Frankly, I don’t quite know what they’re more afraid of: the two of them killing each other, or the two of them stripping naked and going at it right in middle of the lobby.”

“Or an interesting combination of both,” Isabelle laughed. Her expression turned serious after a moment, though. “What about Alex?” she asked softly.

Ajaya’s mouth thinned to a hard line. “Fletcher’s keeping that one within the family. He’s under house arrest...for now.”

“I was wrong,” Isabelle said apologetically. “I told you he wasn’t the one and...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ajaya smiled softly, “and Nicky and Monica are getting over the false accusations. They’ll probably be over it by the time you get back...which means _I_ had to put up with the dirty looks all by myself even though _you_ were the one who was wrong.”

“Hey!” Isabelle protested, “I already apologized about that! Besides, it could have just as easily been Lily...”

“Yeah,” Ajaya said sarcastically, “she did it from her coma...”

“Lily’s in a coma?” Isabelle frowned.

“ _Was_ in a coma,” Ajaya quickly reassured her. “She got out right after you were taken. She helped save you, remember?”

Isabelle nodded slowly. “You knew about this?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Ajaya agreed. “I kinda broke into her room and found out. The Magic Drinkers had been altered to be fatal. That’s how I knew she hadn’t done it.”

“And you didn’t tell me this, why?” Isabelle demanded.

“I swore to Willow and Aida that I wouldn’t,” Ajaya said apologetically. “They wanted a chance to cure her before the truth leaked out.”

“And naturally you thought I’d blab,” Isabelle couldn’t help but tease.

“I did not!” Ajaya insisted, outraged until she realized by Isabelle’s grin that she was joking. “Cheap trick,” she grumbled under her breath. “At least _I_ didn’t think Monica and Nicky did it...”

“Oh!” Isabelle exclaimed in disbelief. “You _so_ did! You were the one who came up with the whole ‘Monica’s not really Monica’ theory in the first place!”

“And it was a good theory!” Ajaya insisted. “Besides, _you_ were the one who said you caught them contacting the Watchers.”

“No, I didn’t! I just showed you what I saw; _you_ wanted to call everyone else in.”

“Well, so did you!” Ajaya insisted.

They paused for a minute. And then started laughing.

“God, do we suck,” Ajaya shook her head. “How did we get it so wrong?”

“And what were Nicky and Monica doing out in that shed anyway?” Isabelle demanded.

Ajaya looked at her askance. “You mean She-Of-The-Dirty-Mind can’t figure it out?” she teased.

Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“Yup, that’s right,” Ajaya nodded, “guess who was having a lovely little affair right behind everyone’s backs...”

“You mean I got shafted for Cat-Woman?” Isabelle pouted. “I could _so_ take her...”

Ajaya rolled her eyes. “Hate to break it to you, but Monica could _completely_ kick your ass...especially if it was over Nicky.”

Isabelle pouted and toyed with the IV in her arm. “I thought it was him,” she finally said softly. “I-In my dream, the traitor got dusted, so I just thought ‘vampire’.”

Ajaya nodded slowly. “It looks like Slayer dreams aren’t so infallible as we thought. After all, Alex was supposed to be the one that _saved_ you...”

“Alex did save me,” Isabelle said thoughtfully. “And in a way, he did defeat the traitor for me...it was just a more internal battle than my dream let on.”

“That’s the problem with prophecies,” Ajaya sighed, “you only realize what they _really_ mean once everything’s over and you can think about it.”

“Stupid prophecies,” Isabelle pouted. “What’s the point of them, then?”

“To make you even _more_ stressed out about your job,” Ajaya teased.

“Just another perk of being a Slayer,” Isabelle complained.

“I don’t know,” Ajaya said with a wry grin, “I’m actually starting to enjoy it...”

“So speaks the girl whose favorite hobby is homework,” Isabelle countered with one eyebrow raised.

“And I could be doing it right now, if _someone_ hadn’t gotten put in the hospital...”

“So sorry to inconvenience you,” Isabelle said with a smile.

Ajaya smiled as well before impulsively leaning in and giving the other Slayer a hug. “I was so worried about you,” she admitted sheepishly.

“And that cut into your homework time even more?” Isabelle guessed.

“Damn straight,” Ajaya agreed.

They were gratefully interrupted by the door slamming open and Spike stalking in, all while Buffy chided him for not waiting until he was asked. Isabelle looked back and forth between the pair once and could tell that they would snap soon if they didn’t get some alone time...and fast.

“We’re in a hospital,” Dawn was insisting behind them. “Can’t you at least cool it down till we get home?”

“Hey,” Isabelle said, blatantly checking Spike out, “if I had that waiting for me back at home, I wouldn’t be able to wait, either.”

Spike flashed Buffy a cocky, confident grin, and she batted him lightly on the head...before giving him a quick kiss on the lips in apology. Ajaya and Isabelle rolled their eyes in perfect time with each other.

“Come in,” Isabelle said magnanimously, “everyone have a seat. We’re even one chair short so Buffy and Spike have an excuse to share...” Buffy had, of course, already sat down in Spike’s lap without even realizing this fact. “And save me from having to look at _this_ ugly face,” she teased, point to Ajaya.

“Humph,” the other Slayer crossed her arms in front of her chest, mock-offended.

“No good deed goes unpunished, ‘ey Petal?” Spike joked before turning back to Isabelle. “How’s my pretty Lioness doin’?”

Isabelle managed not to blush _too_ much. “Stuck in hospital,” she shrugged, “not exactly fun.”

“Sorry about that,” Buffy said, her head pillowed against her mate’s shoulder. Even this casual contact managed to settle them both down quite a bit. “Personally, I can’t _stand_ hospitals...”

“You’ve got my sympathy, too,” Lily said from the foot of the bed, “as someone who has been recently bed-ridden.”

Ajaya raised one eyebrow. “Aren’t you still waiting for more Opprimitae?” she asked.

“All the ones on this continent have reported in,” Lily explained. “The other are still crossing the oceans, so I’ve got some time.”

“Which Fletcher does not,” Dawn added. “He asked for us to apologize to you for him, since he couldn’t be here and all.”

Isabelle nodded. “Quite all right,” she agreed. “I’m sure this whole mess has produced massive amounts of paperwork.”

“Not to mention disaffected traitors that need to be counseled,” Spike commented.

“Alex is all right then?” Isabelle asked anxiously, to the surprise of everyone present except for Spike.

“Yeah,” he assured her, “he’ll be locked up back home for you ‘s soon ‘s you get out...” He and Isabelle exchanged a wicked grin...

And then Isabelle’s turned a shade wickeder. “So, Spike,” she began innocently enough, “I heard that Xeris saved your life...”

Spike groaned and buried his head in Buffy’s shoulder, while everyone else laughed...

* * *

Alex looked up and wasn’t at all surprised to see Fletcher entering his room. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up,” he said simply.

“I’ve been putting this off,” Fletcher admitted, adjusting his glasses and taking the offered armchair across from Alex.

“Y’know,” Alex commented, “I was expecting to wake up in one of those lovely eight by ten cells downstairs...”

“What would be the point?” Fletcher countered. “It would just make you hate us more. And, in the meantime, your room would be sitting up here, unused.”

Alex stared intently down at the carpet. “I don’t hate you,” he finally said after a moment’s silence.

“That’s odd,” Fletcher commented a bit harshly. “And here I thought the fact that you blew up half the building and tried to kill dozens of my friends meant something...”

Alex sighed and looked out the window, but didn’t say anything.

“Fine,” Fletcher said brusquely, “don’t try to explain yourself. I honestly don’t think you could do so anyway. But don’t expect to be forgiven so easily, either.”

“I’m under arrest, am I?” Alex said matter-of-factly.

“This room has been magically guarded,” Fletcher informed him. “I fancy not even you’ll be able to find a way out...especially since the very people you tried to kill are your guards now.”

“That’s kind of fitting,” Alex agreed with a grimace.

“We’ve taken special measures to ensure that no Vengeance Demon powers work in here as well,” Fletcher added. “I have no idea how you pulled that stunt back in Sunnydale, but it won’t help you here. All the Children of Arashmaharr couldn’t break you out.”

“I’m not planning on breaking out,” Alex said sincerely, “and as for Sunnydale... _I’m_ not even sure what happened.”

“I want to believe you,” Fletcher said solemnly, “but after the way you’ve betrayed us – betrayed _me_ , Alex – I’m just not sure I can trust you anymore.”

Alex looked up at him at that. “I’m still your friend,” he insisted.

“Are you?” Fletcher countered. “I’m not sure _who_ you are.”

Alex bit back a wry laugh. “Playing moral superiority fun?” he retorted harshly.

Fletcher’s eyes narrowed. “You think I enjoy this?” he demanded. “Holding my own friend prisoner in his room?”

“Don’t know,” Alex retorted, “you always did offer to be prison guard whenever we played capture the flag...”

Fletcher rose to leave.

Alex leapt up as well and caught his shoulder just as he was turning to go. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “That was unfair.”

“It bloody well was,” Fletcher agreed, but he sat back down.

“Wh-What’s going to happen to me?” Alex finally asked nervously.

“That’s entirely your decision,” Fletcher informed him. “Frankly, I was half-tempted to turn you over to the World Government along with the Watcher’s Council.”

“But you didn’t,” Alex pointed out.

“No,” Fletcher agreed, “I didn’t. But that doesn’t mean I won’t...”

“What are your terms?” Alex asked.

Fletcher nodded, pleased that his friend was at least willing to hear him out. “It is clear that you are unable to handle your recent losses on your own. Therefore, I must request that you undergo extensive grief-counseling before we even consider releasing you.”

“And by ‘request’, you mean ‘order’, of course,” Alex commented.

“Quite,” Fletcher agreed. “I should also think that you have to deal with whatever hostility it is that you bear towards the coven. I will not ever have you putting any of my people in danger again. Your rank and position have, of course, already been removed.”

“You gave Monica the squad?” Alex demanded.

“Yes,” Fletcher agreed, “with Nicolas as her second.”

Alex nodded. “They’re both ready,” he agreed. “And?”

“And we’ll start with that,” Fletcher concluded, “and see where we need to go from there.”

“You’re letting me off easy,” Alex commented. “Why?”

“Because it’s not my job nor my desire to punish you,” Fletcher informed him matter-of-factly. “It’s my job to help you.”

Alex chuckled wryly. “I don’t deserve you as a friend, Price.”

“Perhaps not,” Fletcher agreed, “but I am one all the same...and I think you’ll discover that you still have more here than you imagine.”

“They didn’t seem too thrilled to see me,” he pointed out.

“They were hoping to the bitter end that you hadn’t actually turned against us,” Fletcher explained, “and so was I. But, still...you did come through in the end.”

“Some demon came through, you mean,” Alex sighed. “I really can’t remember what happened...”

“You showed your demon visage,” Fletcher commented.

“But...I shouldn’t even _have_ one!” Alex insisted. “I’m only half demon!”

“Your father had an element of your mother’s demon put into him,” Fletcher said thoughtfully.

“ _Years_ after I was born,” Alex argued.

Fletcher shrugged. “Magic tends not to conform to normal scientific reality,” he pointed out. “Rather, it seems to delight in defying the bounds of logic.”

“You’re saying there’s more Vengeance Demon in me than we first thought,” Alex said sullenly.

“And a good thing, too,” Fletcher agreed. To Alex’ curious look, he explained. “It was your Vengeance side that came to your aid back in Sunnydale, just as it was Vengeance that led you astray. There’s obviously more to this aspect of yourself than you’ve explored in the past. However, I _do_ find it encouraging that your demon only manifested itself out of friendship and loyalty and...something more?” he felt compelled to pry.

Alex responded with an enigmatic smile. “When did you get so smart?” he teased. “What happened to the kid who didn’t learn to tie his shoe laces until third grade?”

Fletcher blushed slightly. “It was _second_ grade,” he insisted, and Alex laughed. “We’re willing to help you with this as well,” he added more seriously. “It seems it wasn’t wise to hold your demon in check. Doing so caused it to rise, er, with a Vengeance.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “You’ve been saving that one up for day, haven’t you?” he accused.

“Quite,” Fletcher agreed with a small smile, rising once more. “Think about it, Alex,” he pleaded. “Don’t refuse the help you’re offered.”

And, with that, he left Alex alone to his thoughts once more...


	30. Chapter 30

“Get out, get out, _get out_!” Ajaya screamed.

Isabelle let out a little squeak as she was bodily shoved out of the door to their room. When she turned to try to force her way back in, four feet eleven inches of very brassed-off Slayer blocked her way.

“Jeez,” Isabelle decided to try the sympathy card, “I’ve only been out of the hospital for two days, and—”

“Not listening,” Ajaya informed her sternly.

“But all I did was—” Isabelle protested.

“Thump, thump, thump!” Ajaya screeched in exasperation. “There are _training rooms_ to practice your Slaying moves in, y’know. How am I _possibly_ supposed to work with all that racket?!”

“Racket?!” Isabelle exclaimed in disbelief. “ _I’m_ the one making all the racket?!” She gestured over to where Ajaya’s stereo was still playing hard-core techno music with the bass turned _all_ the way up. “ _I’m_ not the one who’s about to shake the whole building down to its foundations!”

Ajaya’s arms crossed in front of her in a no-nonsense manner. “My extension only lasts until tomorrow,” she said calmly, “and I still haven’t triple-checked all my fuel ratios!”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “They’re _already_ perfect,” she insisted.

“Not necessarily so,” Ajaya said, steadfast. “I found a typo in my design schematic just yesterday!”

“Which would’ve docked what?” Isabelle retorted. “One tenth of a percent? Ooh, you’d better hurry and recheck, Ajaya,” she said sarcastically, “you might only get a ninety-nine otherwise!”

“I fully intend to get a one hundred,” Ajaya said with finality, slamming the door in Isabelle’s face.

Isabelle let out an annoyed little sigh and turned to where she heard snickering down the hall. “What?” she demanded of Dawn, who was peeking out of her room and laughing at the little scene Isabelle and Ajaya had just played before her.

Isabelle couldn’t help it; she started to laugh as well. What could have turned into an all-out giggle-fest was promptly interrupted by Ajaya’s yell.

“I didn’t kick you out so that you could make racket in the _hallway_! Some people are trying to work!”

Isabelle and Dawn both covered their mouths and tried to stop laughing so hard.

“Things are back to normal, I take it?” Dawn teased.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Frighteningly so,” she agreed before turning to look at the still-closed door at the end of the hall. “How are the Witches _possibly_ missing this? I feel like I need more people to laugh at me.”

Dawn grinned at that. “They’ve been down in the drawing room for the past few days,” she explained. “Completely commandeered it as their new temporary temple.”

“So, what are they doing down there?” Isabelle asked curiously.

Dawn shrugged. “They won’t tell me,” she pouted, “but they’ve been working on it for months. Something for Christmas, I think...”

Isabelle’s eyes narrowed. “Do you need undercover investigators to look into it?” she asked. “’Cause Ajaya and I totally suck at it.”

Dawn laughed and shook her head. “Don’t bother,” she insisted. “We’ll all find out soon enough anyway...”

Isabelle left Dawn with those words, her feet seeming to move of their own accord toward the other wing of the mansion. Ever since she’d gotten back, a part of her just couldn’t stay away from Alex for long, despite everything that he’d done. Ajaya had informed her point blank that she had the worst taste in me in the world, and perhaps she did but...that little tingly feeling she got whenever she went to see him? That was definitely a good thing...

She took a second to straighten her hair in the hall mirror before knocking on his door. The room above was blissfully quiet. Alex had been complaining just yesterday that Buffy and Spike had become obnoxiously cuddly as of late. And, while it meant that their little sessions upstairs were quieter right now, watching the two of them practically try to crawl inside each other’s skin at every available opportunity more than made up for it. Isabelle hadn’t been able to stop laughing at Alex’ account of an entire conversation in which Buffy and Spike had both been talking to him through each other’s lips.

Apparently there had been some near-dust experience lately that had brought on the subtle change in the couple’s behavior.

And they weren’t the only ones that had changed. Isabelle rolled her eyes at the loud gasps and moans that were coming from Nicky’s room. If Buffy and Spike had gone quiet, Nicky and Monica had done the exact opposite.

The huge flurry of activity after they had first announced that they were together had died down now. Isabelle could now understand why they’d put off the announcement for so long. They had both been trapped with her almost the entire time she’d been in the clinic, while Maddie ran a seemingly endless assortment of tests to make sure they were being ‘safe’.

When she’d finally come to the rather public conclusion that the active ingredient in were-jaguar saliva didn’t affect vampires in the slightest, Monica had been unable to stop blushing for hours. But Nicky had still appeared the nest morning with suspiciously feline bite marks on his throat. Monica had ditched the scarves and turtlenecks that had been her habit as of late as well.

Another loud growl, and Isabelle winced in sympathy for what Alex had to put up with. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Alex managed to call out in the most surly voice possible.

“Who do you think it is, dumbass?” Isabelle snapped right back. “Now open the damn door!” There was no doubt in Isabelle’s mind that they were a match made in heaven...

Alex was immediately fumbling with the chain of the door. He managed to restrain his eagerness when he opened the door, however, affecting a disinterested nonchalance.

“Hey,” he said casually, obviously trying to keep his cheeks from turning red. He gestured for her to come in.

Isabelle didn’t bother to hide her blush. “Hey yourself,” she agreed and stepped inside...to see another _woman_ of things sitting on the edge of his bed! And she was _pretty_ , too! Longs legs, and wavy blond hair, and—

“Have you met Melissa yet?” Alex offered introductions.

“No,” Isabelle said, gauging the other woman with a cold eye.

Melissa couldn’t help but laugh. “You must be Isabelle,” she said with a small, knowing smile. She extended her hand. “I’m Melissa, Alex’ _sister_ ,” she emphasized the last word with a little giggle.

Isabelle instantly flinched at her mistake and took Melissa’s hand with an apologetic smile. “It really is nice to meet you,” she reassured her, blushing horribly in embarrassment the entire time.

“Don’t worry about it,” Melissa whispered so low Alex couldn’t hear, giving Isabelle a conspiratorial little wink.

“Thanks,” Isabelle replied gratefully.

“Just keep an eye on my brother,” Melissa giggled again. “Keep him out of trouble...”

“I don’t know,” Isabelle was laughing as well. “I’ve been informed that _I’m_ trouble...”

Alex approached them suspiciously. “What are you two whispering about?” he demanded.

Melissa and Isabelle both fought to stifle their laughter. “Nothing,” Melissa finally said with the most falsely-innocent expression Isabelle had ever seen.

Alex let out a resigned sigh. “I’m doomed, amn’t I?” he complained.

“Completely,” Melissa reassured him, sitting down beside him. She gestured for Isabelle to sit on the other side of him, and the Slayer eagerly did so, trying to hide the little twinge of excitement that went through her when their thighs brushed. Alex seemed a bit uncomfortable in his seat as well.

“Want a pillow for you lap?” Melissa whispered in hi ear.

He flushed a deep red in response. Isabelle gave them both a curious look, and he blushed even redder.

“What?” she demanded.

“So, er,” Alex shifted again, ignoring Melissa’s suppressed laughter, “it’s a good thing you came by. I’m gonna need all the support I can get...”

“Oh?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow.

“Today’s the fateful day,” Melissa said solemnly. “Alex finally has to face Willow and Aida.”

“What do they want?” Isabelle asked curiously.

“To make me feel as terrible as possible,” Alex stated sullenly. “It’s the only thing I can think of...”

* * *

“Very good then,” Fletcher typed in the last period in his report with finality. “You are hereby both released from your current assignments.”

“Mmm...good,” Spike said, obviously more fascinated with Buffy’s lower lip that with their meeting. “We can take off then?”

“Any time you wish,” Fletcher agreed, “although...may I ask what your plans are?”

“We’re staying for Christmas,” Buffy informed him just before Spike finally took a nibble of her lip. “Mmm...then we’re...ooh, mmm...going to head home, spend...ah!...New Year’s with the pack...” She broke off to give Spike a proper kiss.

Fletcher sighed and shook his head. “You’ll give my regards to the Osbornes?” he requested.

“Sure thing, twerp,” Spike managed to gasp out.

Fletcher watched them for a minute in pure annoyance. Finally, he just couldn’t help himself from breaking them up. “Keep that up much longer,” he commented wryly, “and you’re liable to swallow each other’s tongues...”

Spike broke away to give the Evil Glare of Death. Buffy, somewhat chastised, separated herself from her mate’s lap and returned to her slightly more respectable place on the arm of his chair.

Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief. “I approve of your staying for Christmas,” he began.

“’S only till the Witches can do their castin’,” Spike retorted suspiciously.

Buffy whapped him in the arm and gave him a look.

“Casting?” Fletcher repeated with one eyebrow raised.

Spike gave Buffy an apologetic look, and she smiled in response. “You might as well be the first to know,” she said enthusiastically. “That spell they did for Xander and Anya? Spike and I are having it done.” She had somehow managed to slip back into his lap during this speech and nuzzled his throat lightly.

Fletcher’s eyebrow rose further. “A curious choice,” he said thoughtfully. “You are, of course, both aware that you’re immortal?”

Spike gave him a ‘duh’ look. “Immortal only means we don’t age,” he countered. “There’s still ways one ‘f us could...” he trailed off at the thought, and Buffy turned his head into her shoulder comfortingly.

“We’re pretty sure we wouldn’t end up in the same place after d-dusting,” she said with a grimace. “So we want to be linked.”

Fletcher nodded slowly. “You probably won’t ever be allowed to return to heaven,” he commented to Buffy.

“It wouldn’t be heaven without my little Spikey anyway,” she cooed, kissing him right on the nose.

“OK,” Fletcher scowled, “now I _know_ you two are just doing that to annoy me!”

Buffy and Spike simultaneously flashed him twin wicked smirks.

Fletcher sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Frankly, I’d rather the two of you go at it right here on my desk that do that irritating... _cutesy_ thing!” he exclaimed.

Spike’s eyes instantly alighted on the piece of furniture in question, and he cocked his head to one side. “Really,” he began slowly, assessing the desk’s sturdiness, “’cause that could be arranged, y’know...”

Fletcher threw his head back in exasperation. “What does it take to get a little respect around here?” he asked rhetorically. He turned back to find Spike actually trying to convince Buffy to climb up onto his desk. “Stop it,” he demanded, annoyed.

Spike gave him an unrepentant grin.

“If you _are_ going to be around for a while...” Fletcher began suggestively.

“A few days,” Spike insisted stubbornly.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Fletcher agreed, “but we _do_ have two new Slayers out there, and...” he trailed off enticingly.

Buffy instantly pounced on the bait, turning away from Spike’s kiss and putting a finger to his lips when he tried to resume it. “We know where they are?” she asked Fletcher.

“One in Mexico and one in New Zealand,” he provided. “We’re still looking for active agents to track them down...”

Spike’s eyes yellowed, and he let out a low growl. “ _Knew_ you were tryin’ to lure my mate right outta my arms!” he accused.

Buffy turned to him. “It’s just two Slayers,” she informed him softly. “Shouldn’t take too long...”

Spike responded with the most pitiful Bambi-Eyes Fletcher had ever seen. “B-But you _promised_...” he sniffled slightly.

Buffy instantly caught him up in her arms and began cooing softly in his ear. “It’s all right, baby. You’re right, I promised. We’ll just go home, have ourselves a nice little vacation...”

Fletcher rolled his eyes. It wasn’t often one saw just how whipped _Buffy_ was, but she was easily just as badly off as Spike was. How they ever managed to come to any decisions was beyond Fletcher. Perhaps it had to do with who started pouting first...

Buffy had completely given in to Spike’s demands by now. “Yeah sure, baby,” she responded to whatever he’d just whispered in her ear. “Take up off the active duty list for the month,” she instructed Fletcher. “We’re on vacation.”

“Year,” Spike retorted.

Buffy’s eyes narrowed at that. “Two months,” she countered.

“Nine.”

“Four.”

“Seven.”

“Six.”

“ _Seven_.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with six?” she demanded. “It’s a nice round number. Why do you need that extra month, anyway?”

He gave her a lascivious smirk. “You’ll just ‘ave to wait an’ find out, won’ you, pet?” he replied suggestively.

Buffy licked her lips. “Seven,” she instructed Fletcher.

“Done,” he said with a sigh, typing the changes into his keypad. “Now, may I strongly suggest that the two of you _get a room_!”

They were too absorbed in each other to notice his complaint. Fletcher rolled his eyes as they stumbled over to the door, trying to climb into each other’s shoes as they did so.

Spike cast one last longing glance back at Fletcher’s desk and whispered something in Buffy’s ear.

“Absolutely not!” she exclaimed. “It’s all kinky and...weird!”

“An’ that’s _bad_?!” Spike demanded. “Besides, ‘s always fun to thumb our noses at authority...”

Buffy shut the door behind them before he could finish his argument.

Fletcher made a mental note to have his desk sprayed down hourly. Just in case...

* * *

Melissa gave Alex’ hand a little, reassuring squeeze when Willow and Aida sat across from them, intently looking anywhere but at Alex. Alex wished Isabelle would take his hand, too. Seeing the two Witches again was harder than he would have imagined. It was a lot easier to think about hating and killing them when he didn’t have to see their faces.

“Well,” Willow finally broke the uncomfortable silence, “this is awkward...”

“We’re not quite sure what to say to you,” Aida added softly.

“The feeling’s more than mutual,” Alex agreed with a grimace.

“W-We get that you’re mad about your parents,” Willow began slowly, “but...I _still_ can’t believe that you would do this to us...”

“I did it,” Alex admitted guiltily. “I know there’s nothing I can do to take it back, but...” He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. “If is means anything,” he finally spoke again, “I didn’t want you dead...not really. I just needed to...lash out? I don’t know...”

Aida gave Willow a little nudge, and Willow sighed. “I know,” she agreed. “It’s not really personal. You just kinda...lose control...”

Alex ventured to give her a small smile.

“It’s rough,” Willow admitted, “seeing the next generation make the same stupid mistakes you did. You kinda hope you’ll be able to steer them away from all that...”

“It’s not your fault,” Alex insisted. “It’s mine.”

Willow bit her lower lip and looked down at her shoes intently.

“Actually,” Aida pointed out, “there’s plenty of blame to spread around. W-We saw what you were going through, but we didn’t— Not in time, anyway.”

“It’s not your job to baby-sit me,” Alex countered.

“No,” Aida agreed, “but we should’ve at least let you know we were trying to help...” She reached into the bag at her feet, removing a small object wrapped in a black cloth.

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Willow grimaced, “for Christmas. But we decided you probably needed it now. We’re still working on yours,” she addressed Melissa, “and Elizabeth’s. But we rushed on this one...”

Alex removed the cloth to find what looked to be a hand-sized black crystal ball. He raised one eyebrow at the old Witches.

“It takes a while to start working after you remove the cloth,” Aida explained. “Just put it back on whenever you want to give them some privacy...”

Alex squinted and _almost_ thought he could make out the slightest of movements within the globe.

“Just our way of saying ‘told you so’,” Willow joked before she and Aida turned to leave.

“What is it?” Isabelle stared intently at the sphere, finally noticing little ripples of motion deep inside it.

“It looks like some kind of seeing crystal...” Melissa commented.

“Mom!” Alex abruptly shouted out in alarm, and the two women leaned over his shoulders to see the scene now playing clearly before them...

~ ~ ~

 _Anyike flinched back as the human’s blade nicked her arm. She clutched it to her and glared at the three ruffians that had waylaid her. However, she didn’t dare use her powers against them, not this deep into human territory. The penalty for a such a grievous border violation would be painful death... Although is might just be worth it to turn these three into worms..._

 _“Pretty, isn’t she?” one of her attackers gave her a wicked, toothless leer. “For a demon, that is...”_

 _“Might have some fun with this one first,” a second agreed._

 _Anyike scrunched her nose up and decided there was no way she was going to allow this, consequences be damned. However, before she even had time to compose a good curse, an arrow whizzed through the trees, catching the first robber squarely in the chest and sending him slumping off of his horse._

 _The second’s horse reared up in fright, and its rider clutched at it desperately, trying not to fall off._

 _The third raised his own bow, aiming for the source of this latest attack. He didn’t even get a chance to aim for his target. He let out a little gurgle as Anyike’s dagger pierced him right in the side._

 _“That’s what you get for threatening my money!” she proclaimed proudly._

 _An amused chuckle echoes through the forest, and the last of the highway robbers feel to the ground with a thud, an arrow in his chest._

 _Anyike sulked at the fact that she wouldn’t get her vengeance on another of her attackers, but quickly turned her attention back to the woods. “Whoever you are,” she shouted out, “I’m prepared to defend my money with my life! And it takes more than an arrow to kill me...”_

 _“I don’t want your money,” a voice said right behind her._

 _Anyike squealed in surprise and spun around...to find the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes looking back at her. “Oh, um...” she began, a bit flustered, “good. I won’t have to kill you then,” she informed her savior with a bright smile._

 _He gave her one in response and began digging through the dead robbers’ pockets. “You’re far from the road,” he commented._

 _“So are you,” she countered, crossing her arms in front of herself._

 _“I live just over that hill,” he gestured to his right. “Little cabin. Don’t get visitors often.” He turned back to look at her and noticed the wound on her arm for the first time. “You’re injured,” he said in alarm._

 _She shrugged and held her arm out for his inspection, noticing his large, strong hand and well-built forearms in the process. What was that old rumor about men with large hands...?_

 _“I can fix you up,” he offered, “back home.”_

 _“I’ll need to know your name before I agree to go home with you,” Anyike said matter-of-factly, checking out the rest of him just to make sure. Very nice..._

 _He blushed. “Um, it’s Sandros,” he said, ducking his head. He’d never seen a woman – demon, whatever – that he’d been this attracted to in all his life. But something with this woman...was just clicking._

 _Anyike blushed as well and tried to figure out why his name sounded so familiar. “I’m Anyike,” she offered._

 _He also seemed to recognize the name but shook it off. “Pretty name,” he commented. “It suits you.” He gestured over to his home, and she led the way._

 _“You live alone?” she asked._

 _“Ever since my dad died,” he agreed._

 _“Do you like money?” she demanded, waiting on his porch while he opened the door for her._

 _He laughed. “As much as the next guy...”_

 _“You don’t have any pet rabbits, do you?” she asked nervously, looking around cautiously before she stepped inside._

 _“No...” he replied, slightly confused. He shut the door behind him._

 _“Good,” Anyike declared, turning around to face him. “I trust you don’t have any objections to fornicating with demons?”_

 _His jaw hung open in disbelief and awe._

 _“Remove your clothes,” she instructed..._

~ ~ ~

Isabelle blushed a deep maroon and looked away.

Alex and Melissa both burst out into hysterical laughter before Alex covered the globe once more.

“That’s Mom all right,” Melissa couldn’t stop giggling.

“ ‘Courtship merely delays enjoyable orgasms’,” Alex quoted, still in hysterics himself.

“Those were you _parents_!” Isabelle insisted, still mortified.

“Trust me,” Melissa insisted, “we’re used to it.”

“Yeah,” Alex said softly, still cradling the covered globe in his hands. “Will someone tell the Witches for me,” he said, suddenly serious, “that I’m sorry and...thank you?”


	31. Chapter 31

Buffy and Spike had decided to have the ritual done in a small, private ceremony. So, naturally, _everyone_ showed up. The fact that the pair would be leaving for many months’ leave turned it into a rather large going-away party.

Even Alex had been allowed to leave his room for the vent, but only under the strict supervision of Melissa and Isabelle. No one had any doubt that, should Alex try to do anything stupid, the two women would properly beat some sense into him. Alex was still sulking after Fletcher had stated this opinion straight to his face.

The ritual itself was brief, a quick chant followed by a small stream of magical energy that was exchanged between the pair. They were kissing through the whole thing. Willow had had to ask several times before she got an affirmative that they realized that it had been done.

Satisfied that their forever was now quite literal, they allowed themselves to separate for the first time Ajaya had seen since they got back from Sunnydale. It was somewhat refreshing to have a conversation with Buffy without her being otherwise distracted.

“I hear you’re leaving soon, too,” Buffy commented.

Ajaya nodded. “School starts up again next Monday, and I want to get all my syllabi early.”

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh. “You could’ve given Will a run for her money if the two of you had gone to school together,” she declared.

Ajaya gave her an evil grin. “I could’ve mopped the floor with her,” she said confidently.

“Them’s fightin’ words,” Buffy retorted with a smile.

Ajaya laughed at that. “Tell me about the Tokyo group,” she requested. “What are they like?”

“Pretty much the same as us...only not half as attractive,” Buffy quipped. “You tell Cordy I said that.”

“Why?” Ajaya asked warily. “Will she kill me?”

“No, she’ll kill _me_ ,” Buffy replied. Her gaze scanned across the crowded drawing room and softened when it alighted on her mate. He was shamelessly flirting with Isabelle. Or, more accurately, Isabelle was shamelessly flirting with _him_ and Nicky at the same time. Monica looked a bit uncomfortable with the fact, but Buffy was merely amused.

“No more worries about dying, huh?” Ajaya followed Buffy’s gaze.

“No,” Buffy said softly, “I’ll have Spike to drive me crazy everywhere I go...”

Ajaya chuckled at that.

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Buffy added. A small frown creased her brow when she saw that Monica wasn’t the only one feeling a tad jealous of Isabelle’s attentions. Alex was trying his best to look in any direction but hers and was doing a terrible job of it.

Ajaya noticed this as well. “I don’t believe it,” she shook her head. “How can he _possibly_ be interested in her after what he tried to do?”

“Sometimes turning against those closest to you is a sign,” Buffy commented. “You can feel yourself changing, and it frightens you, so you lash out. Or so I’m told anyway.” Her eyes flicked over to Spike so briefly that Ajaya wasn’t even quite sure she’d actually seen it.

“He looks lonely,” the young Slayer finally decided.

“He is,” Buffy agreed. “You don’t mind if I...?”

“Go right ahead,” Ajaya agreed, watching Buffy leave before she headed over to the Witches...  
   
 

“You actually know how to waltz?” Isabelle said incredulously, eyeing the black leather and bleach job skeptically.

“Practically knew before I could walk,” Spike countered. “Victorian England. Born an’ raised.”

“Is he kidding?” Isabelle demanded of Nicolas.

“If he is, he’s been doing it ever since I was turned,” the younger vampire retorted.

“So you’re, like, four hundred then?” Isabelle looked Spike up and down.

He bit back a sigh of exasperation. “Kids these days,” he muttered under his breath, “no sense ‘f history whatsoever...”

“See?” Nicolas whispered into Isabelle’s ear, “there are his stodgy, old man characteristics coming through...”

Monica surreptitiously stepped on his foot when she decided he was just a bit too interested in the low cut of the Slayer’s dress. He gave her a surprised look.

Isabelle didn’t even notice the exchange. “Not bad for an old man,” she decided. “All right,” she said to Spike, “but no funny stuff, Mister. I’m watching you.”

He gave her that seductive smirk that made her toes curl. “A gentleman always behaves himself,” he said, offering her his hand.

“And you’re a gentleman?” Isabelle raised one eyebrow.

“Not anymore,” he countered with a wide grin, pulling her into his arms.

Isabelle let out a delighted little squeal and followed his lead.

“What was that about?” Nicolas demanded of Monica once the other pair had left them alone.

“You were practically drooling on her cleavage,” Monica accused, arms folded over her chest to enhance that particular aspect of her own body.

“I was not!” Nicolas insisted.

Monica sighed. “You’ve got a lot to learn about women, don’t you?”

He gave her a curious look.

“You’re not supposed to deny it,” she explained to him calmly. “You’re supposed to tell me that I’m ten times as beautiful as she is and then tell me how much you love me.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, “this whole serious relationship thing? Still kinda new.”

She slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a small smile. “Just tell me you love me,” she requested softly.

“I love you more than I’ve loved anything in my unlife,” Nicolas informed her. “You’ve always been the only one for me...”

Their lips met and would’ve stayed locked for quite some time if Xeris hadn’t tapped Monica on the shoulder.

“I have an urgent message from Fletcher,” he informed the pair.

“What is it?” Monica demanded, brow furrowed.

“He says that you are to acquire accommodations immediately,” Xeris informed them.

They blinked for a second before rolling their eyes. “You mean ‘get a room’?” Nicolas clarified.

Xeris nodded gravely, and Monica couldn’t help but giggle. Xeris cocked his head at her curiously, processing their reactions.

“A joke,” Nicolas clarified.

“Ah,” Xeris said in realization. “You will help me retaliate then?”

Monica and Nicolas gave him wicked grins, and the three closed in for a huddle...  
   
 

“You keep looking at my mate’s back like that,” Buffy commented dryly, “and you’ll set it on fire.”

Alex turned to give her a curious look.

“He’s got a rather lovely back,” she added. “Burn marks would interfere with my enjoyment of it.”

Even Alex had to crack an amused smile at that one. “I’m just going for temporary pain,” he assured her, “not full spontaneous combustion.”

Buffy laughed and waved Melissa off so that she could talk to him alone. “There’s no need to be jealous,” she informed him, watching the dancing pair across the room. “There’s nothing between them.”

Alex snorted. “Maybe on _your_ lover’s end,” he retorted before he thought about it. “Not that I’m jealous!” he hastily amended. “Or even care, or...” he trailed off when he saw the knowing smile on the vampiress’ face. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath.

“She’s a good woman,” Buffy commented, watching Isabelle laugh at a joke Spike had just told. “No one’s blaming you...”

“ _Everyone’s_ blaming me,” Alex retorted. “I _did_ nearly get her killed, after all.”

“She doesn’t seem to blame you,” Buffy countered, “and, in the end, that’s what really matters. Don’t turn you back just because you made a mistake,” she bit her lip softly and watched her mate laugh, “you’ll just end up cold and alone. Love can save you from that, if you’re brave enough to let it...” Across the room, Spike’s eyes met hers, and they shared a passionate look.

Alex rolled his eyes. He’d been dealing with this since childhood. Buffy always did the lectures about the mistakes that Spike made, and vice versa. And they always got annoyingly sentimental when they did it. “Yes, Aunt Buffy,” he replied in mock-obedience.

She flashed him an annoyed glare. “I’ll have you know that Spike and I have done _hundreds_ of stupid things in our time. And we’re willing to offer annoying advice of _all_ of it,” she teased.

Alex chuckled at that, but the smile never reached his eyes. And his eyes were still trained on Isabelle.

“Go for it,” Buffy encouraged him.

He instantly dropped his eyes. “Nina’s been in the ground for less than two months,” he pointed out.

Buffy nodded slowly. “Yeah,” she agreed, “it doesn’t feel right, does it? You feel like what you had was so great, so how dare something better come along?” She let out a deep sight. “It does, though, and if you don’t go for it...” she trailed off sadly. “Don’t wait until it’s too late,” she advised him.

“I know,” he sighed, “but...another Slayer? What am I getting myself into?”

“Never another vampire,” she whispered to herself.

“What?”

“That’s what I told myself,” she informed him, “never another vampire. And I stuck to that so stubbornly for so long, even after I saw that he was my soul mate...” She looked at Spike with such naked longing that Alex almost felt like a voyeur. “Whatever you do,” she begged him, “don’t let the right one slip away. I almost did, and I almost destroyed us both in the process.”

Alex really couldn’t argue with that.  
   
 

Ajaya reached the Witches at exactly the same time Dawn did.

The old Key’s eyes darted around suspiciously before she leaned in close for a conspiratorial whisper. “I need your help rigging Fletcher’s office,” she informed them.

Identical evil grins instantly sprung onto Willow and Aida’s faces. “What’s up?” Willow asked.

“Dear old Fletchy tried to pull a joke on Nicky and Monica,” Dawn explained gravely. “Fortunately, I overheard their plans for revenge and helped them, er... _innovate_ some...”

“Fletcher telling jokes?!” Aida exclaimed in mock-horror. “This abomination must be stopped at once! What do we do?”

“Oh Goddess, _Moms_!” Lily exclaimed, her face buried in her hands. “How old are you? Ten?!”

“Physically or emotionally?” Willow asked with an amused little grin.

Lily groaned and hid deeper in her hands. Ajaya gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“You coming?” Dawn asked as the Witches trailed out.

Ajaya looked at Lily’s mortification. “I think we’ll pass on this one,” she said with a small smile. “But good luck!”

“Are they gone yet?” Lily finally ventured to peek through the fingers that covered her eyes.

Ajaya laughed. “Yeah, they’re off to do more mischief...”

Lily grimaced. “They’re my Moms, and I love them,” she clarified, “but do they have to be so _embarrassing_ all the time?”

“By universal law,” Ajaya nodded. “You think _they’re_ bad? You should see _my_ parents. At least your parents aren’t constantly trying to set you up with the grocer’s pimply son...”

“Thank the Goddess for that,” Lily agreed with a small smile. She watched Monica and Nicolas sneak out of the crowd as well and tried not to cringe at what her mothers might be up to. “Although...” she added wistfully, turning her attention to where Spike and Isabelle had just joined Buffy and Alex.

“ ‘Although’?” Ajaya prompted.

Lily shrugged. “It might be nice to not be so hopelessly single once in a while,” she commented. “I don’t even have Nicky to commiserate with me anymore...”

“You and Nicky?” Ajaya’s eyes widened.

“Oh no,” Lily quickly reassured her. “He just shared my pain at being single...until Monica came along, that is.”

“Well,” Ajaya said with a small smile, “you could always bitch to Xeris...”

Lily laughed. “Yeah, he’d probably find it a fascinating analysis in human behavior,” she agreed.

“He hasn’t quite figured this dimension out yet, has he?” Ajaya inquired.

“He’s getting better,” Lily commented, “you should’ve seen him when we got the Christmas tree last year...”  
   
 

Isabelle did a little pirouette out of Spike’s arms and landed on the couch beside Alex.

Buffy instantly took her place, nuzzling her mate’s throat affectionately. “Missed you,” she whispered into her ear, and he gave her that gorgeous dimpled smile of his.

However, they were promptly interrupted by a very eager Fletcher. “Word just came in from Korea,” he informed them. “Apocalypse averted.”

Spike raised a scarred eyebrow. “Yeah,” he said sarcastically, “I kinda figured that what with the world not endin’ an’ all...”

Fletcher cast him an annoyed glare and turned to the others. “It’s quite a fascinating story, actually. One of the—”

“Excuse me,” Xeris tapped him on the shoulder.

“What?” he turned to the Velik Demon.

“That important message you had me deliver?” Xeris said with all seriousness. “Monica replied that they found suitable accommodations...in your office.”

“What?!” Fletcher’s face paled, and before anyone even had a chance to start laughing, he’d dashed out the door.

Seconds later, there was a flash of bright green light, and Dawn reappeared with the rest of her fellow conspirators.

“Don’t worry,” Willow reassured everyone with a wide grin, “we’ve got cameras to record the look on Fletcher’s face when he sees what we did...”

* * *

“Victory!” Ajaya exclaimed, her hands raised in the air in triumph.

Isabelle groaned and buried her head under her pillow.

“Wake up!” Ajaya plopped onto the mattress beside her and jabbed her in the side.

Isabelle made a strange sound halfway between a gurgle and a very obscene word.

Ajaya poked her again. “My grades just came in,” she explained patiently. “I need someone to gloat to.” She stuck the data pad right in Isabelle’s face.

Isabelle blinked blearily a few times before she could properly read the display. “All ‘A’s,” she grumbled. “Big surprise. Either that, or your professors were screaming ‘Aaaaa!’ in terror at how cheerful you are in the morning. Now, let me sleep.” She pulled the blanket up over her head.

Ajaya pulled it back down. “You told me to wake you up,” she reminder her.

“That doesn’t sound like something I’d say,” Isabelle countered.

“Buffy and Spike are leaving in an hour,” Ajaya explained.

Isabelle cracked one eye open. “There’s no way vampires would leave at such an ungodly hour,” she retorted.

Ajaya laughed. “It’s nine,” she informed the other Slayer.

“See?” Isabelle insisted. “Ungodly.”

“Fine,” Ajaya said with an evil smile, “I’ll just have to say goodbye to Spike’s gorgeous ass all on my own...”

“Spike’s ass is where?” Isabelle demanded, instantly alert.

“Downstairs,” Ajaya laughed. “Now, get dressed...”

Getting dressed had consisted of Isabelle frantically trying on outfit after outfit until Ajaya finally grabbed her arm and _dragged_ her downstairs. They met with the small group waiting in the entrance hallway, Isabelle still primping her hair and looking around for Spike.

The pair in question soon arrived with the last of their luggage, which Simon took away while everyone said their goodbyes.

“See you in Tokyo some time, Pretty Petal,” Spike assured Ajaya, placing a sensual kiss on the back of her hand.

Ajaya couldn’t help it; she blushed a deep red. And probably stuttered something nonsensical as well.

Buffy turned from where she was saying goodbye to Isabelle to give Ajaya a quick hug. “Take care of yourself,” she said fondly.

“I fully plan to,” Ajaya agreed.

Isabelle had practically melted the instant Spike had taken her into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder and breathing in deeply. He held her for a minute longer than was absolutely necessary, and she found – to her horror – that she’d been transformed into a bashful schoolgirl by the time he pulled back.

“Stunned speechless, ‘ey Lioness?” he teased.

 _That_ snapped her back to herself. She gave him the best devil-may-care grin she had, and before he even had time to _wonder_ what she was grinning about, she had planted her lips firmly on his, one hand would through his hair and the other coping a quick feel of that scrumptious ass of his.

Buffy leaned in to check that lips were closed and no tongues were involved; she wasn’t a _saint_ , after all. Satisfied, she stepped back.

“Gotcha,” Isabelle said with a proud grin when she pulled back to reveal that Spike’s face had turned beet-red.

In the background, Dawn and Willow snickered.

“You should have plenty of time in the next few months to mold his lips back to the shape of yours,” Isabelle teased Buffy.

Buffy gave her a small smile...and then caught Spike by the waist, bending him back over her arm in a low dip as her mouth plundered his. His hands caught her shoulders, counteracting the force of her kiss...

A minute passed.

Willow coughed surreptitiously.

A second minute.

Dawn checked her watch.

A third.

“The two of you are gonna miss your flight, if you don’t hurry!” Simon shouted from the car.

Buffy finally let Spike up at that, satisfied at how his knees had turned to jelly and he was gasping desperately for breath he didn’t need. He slumped against her shakily, and she steadied him with an arm about the waist.

“All re-molded,” she informed Isabelle with a triumphant smile. “I win.”

“Dunno,” Spike commented, still gasping for air. “Could I ‘ave another A-B comparison jus’ to make sure...?”

Buffy whapped him lightly in the arm. “We’re going to be late,” she reminded him.

“Right,” he nodded, and the pair said their goodbyes to Dawn and Willow.

The four continued to wave to the vampire pair even after Simon had shut the car door, and the tinted windows obscured their views.

“Thanks so much for winding them up,” Simon teased Isabelle. “Now I’ll have to listen to them for the entire ride...” With that, he hopped into the driver’s seat and rode off.

Dawn and Willow went back inside, but Isabelle stayed to watch the car go around the bend, and Ajaya waited with her. When Isabelle finally turned around, she found a wide grin on her friend’s face.

It mirrored her own. “Mmm, Spike lips,” she said simply. “Lips of Spike...”


	32. Epilogue

Ajaya watched the terminal as he plane pulled out onto the runway. She couldn’t see Isabelle, of course, but it helped to know that the other Slayer was somewhere in the building.

Her eyes actually misted up again at the thought of their goodbye. They’d shared one of those big, embarrassing hugs right at the gate, both promising to keep in touch over and over again until one of the stewardesses had had to break them apart and practically drag Ajaya onto to the plane.

The funny thing was that Ajaya wasn’t at all embarrassed by the uncharacteristic display of affection. Rather, she twisted her now unnecessary glasses around her fingers and burned into memory all the though she had of the friends she’d made in her brief stay here...

* * *

“I miss her already,” Isabelle sniffled into her Kleenex. She sat up on the bed and turned to where Alex was watching her impressive Kleenex consumption with something between awe and disgust. She felt obliged to give him a light whap in the arm. “Hello?” she demanded. “Need comforting here!”

“Uh, yeah,” he said with one raised eyebrow. “Well, she was a good fighter...”

Isabelle gave him a look like he was an absolute moron.

“What?!” he demanded. “You’re going to hear from her the _instant_ she gets off the plane anyway.”

“Insensitive much?” Isabelle said sarcastically before bursting into tears once more.

Before Alex knew what had hit him, he had himself an armful of crying Slayer. “There, there,” he said, too shocked – and, yeah, aroused – to come up with anything more intelligent.

“What am I gonna do without her to annoy me?” Isabelle sniffled.

“ _I_ could always annoy you,” Alex offered with a wry grin.

Isabelle spared him an irritated look. “She was a great friend, and now she’s gone,” she huffed. “And you’re not helping.” She looked into the Kleenex box by Alex’ bed and discovered it was empty. She dangled it in front of him piteously, and he sighed.

“What do you want me to do about it?” he demanded. “I’m not allowed to leave the room, remember?”

“Fine,” Isabelle sulked, “I’ll just use your pillow instead...” She turned her head into it.

“Oh, for crying out...!” Alex exclaimed. “Nicky!” he yelled out the open door. “Monica? Does anybody have a Kleenex?!”

* * *

Buffy finally ventured to move, the aftereffects of her pleasure still pulsing through her body. With a little groan, she managed to roll over so that her head was pillowed on Spike’s bare chest. She played with the smooth skin there for a while, her fingertips drawing arcane symbols onto his chest.

“You’re worried ‘bout them,” Spike finally commented, reaching down with one shaky hand to stroke her hair.

She sighed. “They’ve all still got so many trials ahead of them...” she trailed off.

“Dunno,” Spike shrugged, “Harris did all right.”

“You call that ‘all right’?” Buffy raised one eyebrow.

“Made the right choice in the end, din’t he?” he countered.

“Mmm,” Buffy acknowledged, “but there are always more choices to make. How can we know that they’ll—”

He cut her off with a finger to her lips. “We don’t,” he said simply. “’S their lives to live. But they’ve all got good heart in ‘em...”

“Just like you did,” Buffy added softly.

“An’ you,” Spike agreed. “And we din’t turn out so badly, ‘ey pet?”

“I’d say we turned out _wonderfully_ ,” she said with a contented smile.

“An’ so with they,” he said softly. “They’ll jus’ have to take the same bumpy ride we did to get there.”

“Hmm,” Buffy murmured, “how do you always know just what to say?”

“’S a talent, my love,” he said seriously.

“And fortunately not your only one,” Buffy leaned in to kiss him, “my love...”

* * *

A little smile crossed Ajaya’s lips when the plane finally landed.

She’d never been to Tokyo before. She had no idea what to expect. She had no idea what people she’d be meeting, what new places she’d visit, what new things she’d experience...

She rose with the crowd to disembark, wondering what would await her when she got off. A little tingle of excitement went down her spine as she waited. All she knew was that her life was completely different now.

And, for some reason, that no longer scared her.


End file.
